NEW ORLEANS — A police report obtained by WWL-TV reveals new details in the case that started as the jumping of an off-duty NOPD officer and turned into a brawl between multiple people in the French Quarter.
The off-duty NOPD officer was riding a rented electric bike on the 700 block of St. Louis Street at around 2:56 a.m. on Aug. 8 on his way to a pizzeria. According to the police report obtained by WWL-TV, he was under the influence of alcohol.
He was on the phone with his friend who was also under the influence, according to police documents.
During the call, the friend tells police he heard the officer arguing with men because he did not want to surrender his bike and gun. The friend, who is a witness in this case, heard someone telling the off-duty officer to "get off the bike," and it quickly escalated into a physical altercation.
The officer's friend, also on a rented electric bike, arrived at the scene and said he saw the group of people beating the officer while on the ground, according to the police report.
Police say the suspects stole the victim's gun, iPhone, and two gold chains. One of the suspects fled on the victim's rented bike as police were approaching.
The friend said there were at least fifteen people at the scene, but police are only searching for three suspects: Two men and a woman.
One of the suspects has been arrested and booked on simple robbery charges after the victim positively identified him. The other two suspects are still at-large.
NOPD has not released the names of the victim, witness or suspects.