New Orleans officer suspended over claim he didn’t stop public rape

A law enforcement officer in New Orleans has been suspended over an allegation that he didn’t act when a witness told him about a woman being raped.

The 911 call made by the witness was obtained by Nola. The witness can be heard saying, “Actually, there’s a police officer in front of me now.” The dispatcher then proceeded to tell the women to get the officer’s attention.

The witness goes on to tell the dispatcher that the alleged victim is unconscious, and she goes on to vent her frustration that no action is being taken “I mean, this police officer isn’t even moving — he’s still just parked here,” the woman told the dispatcher.

The witness, who was a tourist visiting New Orleans, said that the alleged perpetrator fled the scene a few minutes after she called 911.

The witness also created a series of Tweets to document what happened. “I just witnessed an unconscious woman being raped at the corner of Toulouse & Royal in New Orleans. Two @NOPDNews officers drove by yet ignored the situation. I called 911 and flagged down a third officer. The officer chose not to respond and maintained his place on the next corner.”

“When I made contact with the woman, she was pulseless. As I pulled her into a flat position to begin CPR she regained a pulse and became agitated. Two @NOPDNews officers responded and refused to administer Narcan despite my insistence & stating I am an ER Respiratory Therapist.”

“The police officers further stated that they needed the (unconscious) woman to state herself that she was being raped despite more than a dozen bystanders reporting the rape and the victim being physically unable to remember the details of the assault against her.”

“Myself, my husband, and at least 10 other bystanders left the scene without giving any report, leaving any personal information, or having any officer take any of us seriously. It’s not because they don’t have the evidence- it’s because they simply don’t care.”

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson confirmed that the officer had been suspended and that an investigation was ongoing. Ferguson did however say that “At no time did an NOPD officer refuse assistance.”