Baton Rouge policewoman injured while making an arrest

Christopher Hensley

Baton Rouge police arrested a Zachary man Saturday accused of injuring a police officer while she was trying to break up a downtown fight that began after the Spanish Town Mardi Gras parade.

Police Lt. Don Kelly said in a news release the Police Department booked Christopher Hensley, 18, of 23456 Pony St., Zachary, into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on one count of battery of a police officer.

About 2:45 p.m., two men started fighting near the intersection of Florida and Lafayette streets, police Lt. Don Kelly said in a news release.

An 18-year-old man later identified as Hensley was seen throwing a beer can at another man, but when the 41-year-old police corporal tried to arrest the can-throwing man, he punched her in the face, Kelly said.

At least two bystanders, including an off-duty police officer from north Louisiana who was visiting Baton Rouge for Mardi Gras, helped arrest Hensley, Kelly said.

The officer, whose name was not made public, was taken to Baton Rouge General Medical Center for treatment of lacerations to her eye and face and was later released, Kelly said.

Police were not sure exactly where the incident occurred, but believe it was near the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center hotel, Kelly said.

Kent Fontenot, of Zachary, said he did not see the fight from his eighth-floor hotel room at the nearby Hilton, but did see the aftermath and response from Baton Rouge police.

He estimated between 20 and 30 police cars, at least 15 police motorcycles, and other officers on bicycles and horseback swarmed around the scene within minutes.

He said he thought someone may have been shot, so he came down from his room to find out what had happened.

“I was checking their demeanor and they were fairly calm,” Fontenot said of the police at the scene.

Clay Morris, of Hernando, Miss., who said he originally was from Baton Rouge, was sitting near the Hilton at the intersection of Florida and Lafayette when he saw a crowd gather near Poor Boy Lloyd’s Restaurant.

“We heard a bunch of people yell, ‘Fight! … Fight!’ like they do in junior high,” Morris said, adding he did not see the punch or can-throwing incident.

Pretty soon, police started pouring in from all directions, he said.

“They had it well covered,” Morris said of the Police Department’s response. “They owned it.”

Comments

1) Comment by Bouncer - 11/02/2013

You have to remember that cops, on the whole, are simply not the brightest bulbs in the chandelier, and that is true whether you are talking Baton Rouge or New York. I believe that the minimum educational requirements to become a police officer should be much, much higher than they are now. That way, you could take at least one step toward culling out some of the Neanderthals. If there were any stringent education standards, then a lot of the Bubbas and Bubettes who currently have a badge and gun would be displaying their ignorance in some other line of work.

2) Comment by speakthetruth - 11/02/2013

Very embarrassed by the video I saw taken by a bystander. BRPD officers dropping the f bomb telling people to get back, nobody in charge, lots of officers just standing around. Very unprofessional. Since the union and mayor are running the police department are they going to fix this mess? Oh wait, that would require having a supervisor take charge and we all know what happens to him/her if one of those unprofessional officers doesn't like what they are told to do.

3) Comment by RobertBigelow - 10/02/2013

Simple.. You strike a member of law enforcement. You lose.

4) Comment by 8point6 - 10/02/2013

@gumbo33: Good point!

5) Comment by markedwardmarchiafava - 10/02/2013

We don't need to "go back there," Mygulfbleedsforu, we haven't left there.

6) Comment by Mygulfbleedsforu - 10/02/2013

tradewinns, you are advocating for individual members of law enforcement to be able to beat the crop out of whomever they please, and as long as they say "He hit me first" we have to avert our eyes and let it happen? Please, yes, let's go back there, because ALL members of law enforcement are ALWAYS honest, ALL the time. Because people, just in general, have so much honor these days no one would ever abuse such a privilege.

7) Comment by tradewinns - 10/02/2013

years ago, if you hit a cop you were in deep deep manure. you were going to pay in court BUT you were going to receive a little curb side justice before you went to jail. that was understood and ok with all but the idiots who threw the punch. then the bottom feeding lawyers found they could find a few stupid people to put on a jury (it's not too hard in today's society) an they could make money (justice is a standuing joke with l;awyers). since then "rights" keep expanding and law abidding citizens continue to be abused. it's almost where criminals have all the rights and the rest of us only have those rights the accused allow us to have. somethings gonna change.

8) Comment by gumbo33 - 10/02/2013

30 police responded to this? I wonder how many innocent bystanders were almost killed by the police who responded to this? I witnessed 2 motorcycle police nearly run over 2 children prior to the Southdowns parade the year before last without even a second thought. I can only imagine what 30 police rushing through a crowded parade route was like.

9) Comment by phil - 10/02/2013

Gee, a man punches a women in the face and then add that the woman was a police officer. The guy who threw the punch apparently made a pretty bad mistake on a couple of different levels in my opinion.

10) Comment by albermarle52 - 10/02/2013

Y'all are acting like MEM made some outlandish statement. You can never find a cop when you need one but when you mess with one they all show up.

11) Comment by Duckyluve - 10/02/2013

MEM been PEC'D lately? Quick grab your tin foil hat

12) Comment by Bouncer - 10/02/2013

More Lose-e-anna white trash making a public spectacle of itself.

13) Comment by spqr - 10/02/2013

Markwm...you are so DULL. You offer nothing but hate for police and all authority. It is fine to criticize, but you are such a child. What happened to you? Did your mother not show you enough attention? Drugs? No woman in your life? A cop was hit, man. A fight. A disturbance of peace in a family atmosphere. You need counseling.

14) Comment by CountryBoysCanSurvive - 10/02/2013

Mr. (term taken lightly) Hensley's face looks way too good, for a punk that punched an officer in the face. He should be urinating blood for 2 weeks.

15) Comment by ogt - 09/02/2013

MEM does your entire life revolve around posting how much you hate cops? google is full of it. take off the tinfoil and leave the bunker

16) Comment by HRoark - 09/02/2013

You right wing guys/gals are quite comical in your retro simple mindedness. BeingStupid revives the 70s something anti flag burning objections and MEM, our favorite sovereign wannabe anarchist won't even comprehend the fairly simple text of the article before trumpeting his "cops are incompetent" refrain. Hopefully the lady cop will be okay and the can thrower got what he deserved. Nothing to see here folks, go home.

17) Comment by markedwardmarchiafava - 09/02/2013

LOL, and those "protectors of the flag" are the same ones who allow our rights to be trampled daily. 20 -30 cops to break up a fight? When it involves one of the Anointed Ones, always.

18) Comment by Being_Stupid - 09/02/2013

Wonder if the wing nut wearing the American Flag as a cape had something to do with this, because I had the strong urge to throw a beer can at that idiot. Some of these communist haters of America should not be allowed in the parade, especially somebody disrespecting the American Flag that so many have fought and died for. As for the police woman, I feel sorry for her. I hope she is alright.