Deputy injured, 5 arrested after protesters try to get on West Bank Expressway
GRETNA, La. (WVUE) - Four people were arrested, and a deputy was injured this afternoon as about 100 protesters blocked a portion of the West Bank Expressway on Tuesday after gathering outside Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office headquarters.
The protesters are demanding full investigations into recent police shootings and they are also calling for deputy body cameras in Jefferson Parish.
But a protest that started out peaceful ended up with a number of arrests and injuries.
A protester shared this video with Michelle Hunter of The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate:
The protesters started the rally outside of Jefferson [arish headquarters in Gretna around noon on Tuesday in the 1200 blk. of the lower portion of the West Bank Expressway.
For about an hour they rallied, then they attempted to gain access to the elevated portion of the expressway, and two of them say they were injured.
- Uma-Kristina Kumar-Montei, 20, Minneapolis, MN, Simple obstruction of a roadway, resisting an officer, refusing to disperse
- Nathaniel Smith, 31, New Orleans, Battery on a police officer, inciting a riot, possession of marijuana, resisting arrest by flight
- Nathan Durapau, 29, New Orleans, Resisting a police officer with force or violence, battery on a police officer, interfering with a police investigation
- Bridget White, 31, unknown hometown, Simple obstruction of a roadway, resisting an officer, refusing to disperse, resisting an officer, battery on a police officer
- Eric Winins, 33, unknown hometownSimple obstruction of a roadway, resisting an officer, refusing to disperse, resisting an officer/refusal to identify
As deputies were attempting to arrest Kumar-Montei, Nathaniel Smith and Bridget White both struck deputies in the face before fleeing the area. As the day progressed, Smith and White were both positively identified, the JPSO said.
The deputy was treated at the hospital after allegedly being punched by a protester. At least two protesters reported injuries as well.
Copyright 2020 WVUE. All rights reserved.
