Officer injured as suspect in custody tries to escape

NEW ORLEANS – An NOPD officer suffered injuries Tuesday during a scuffle with an arrested suspect who was trying to take the officer’s gun.

According to NOPD officials, the female officer was on guard duty watching the arrested suspect on the eighth floor of University Hospital. There was a fight that broke out between the two as the arrested suspect, who had a pair of scissors, tried to overpower the officer and get control of her gun from her holster, officials say.

"During the course of that, the officer sustained several punctured wounds to the body and what we believe to be a fractured jaw," said NOPD Assistant Superintendent Marlon Defillo. "Now, we had a police lieutenant, who happened to be at the hospital, was in the process of preparing paperwork for him to be transferred in the custody of the Sheriff's Office.That officer when he stepped off the elevator, he was met by several nurses who were getting attention that one of our police officers was in trouble."

The suspect was unable to get the gun, and the lieutenant arrived in time to subdue the arrested suspect, Defillo said. This all happened in the eighth floor room and did not spill into the hallway or the rest of the hospital.

The female officer is in guarded condition. The suspect received minor injuries and will remain in the hospital for now, but he faces additional charges of attempted murder on a police officer and attempted escape.

Police haven’t released the identity of the officer or the suspect, though they did say the suspect had been arrested for stabbing a police canine, armed robbery and aggravated battery. The suspect had been in the hospital since October.