The atmosphere of Homecoming bliss was briefly disturbed on Wednesday, Nov. 1 around 2 p.m. when an alteration between an officer and student escalated in front of the Smith-Brown Memorial Union.
“What we have on our hand is two issues,” said Mike Morris, chief of police for the Southern University Police Department. “The first was a student who parked in a red zone area while the second is the witnessing (of the incident) by several students who were on the scene and saw a SU officer pull a gun out on the student who was parked incorrectly.”
The names of both the officer and the student involved could not be released at press time, Morris said.
Wednesday’s incident resulted from the student parking in the illegal red zone in front of the student union. The confrontation between the student and officer escaladed when the student was asked to move the vehicle into the appropriate parking zone.
Within hours, the student returned to the red zone area and parked back in the same illegal parking space, SUPD officials said.
The officer noticed the vehicle was parked in the same area and called for a tow truck. When the student returned to his vehicle and saw the officer, along with the tow truck, the student began to raise his voice, drawing the attention of a crowd of students socializing at the union and the surrounding area.
According to witnesses on the scene, the officer withdrew his gun on the student as the argument heightened.
“This incident is predicated under investigation, however, of those students that were on the scene, three were charged with a disturbance of peace on campus,” Morris said. “They were arrested and held under the custody of SUPD.”
Morris said the students were detained in custody for one hour following the incident, and then released after contacting their parents and relatives.
The officer has been placed on administrative leave, said Morris.
“Too many times policemen get out of control because of the pressure or intensity of the situation,” Morris said. “We are humans, which doesn’t make the situation right, but we are learning from students as students are learning from us.”
During an interview shortly following the incident, Morris said Louisiana law states that an officer has the right to protect himself if he or she is in fear of his/her life or bodily harm.
Defensive Tactics is also permissible if any situation worsens to point where the officer is in danger for his or her life, Morris said.
A final ruling will not be made until the incident has been thoroughly investigated, police officials said.
Morris said, in the aftermath of Wednesday’s altercation, the university’s traffic policy will be more strictly enforced.
“We will not tow, if you (students, faculty and staff) park in the correct designated parking space,” he said. “Register (your) vehicle and abide by Southern University law enforcement.”
“If (you) do what (you’re not) supposed to do, we will do what we have to do,” Morris said.
Morris said he wants to extend a hand of thanks to student leaders as well as the faculty and administration that worked together to maintain order during the incident’s aftermath.
“When you have a combination of student leaders and leaders on campus cooperating together, situations that get out of hand cannot because those leaders are always on their job,” Morris said. “If it wasn’t for the SGA and other leaders keeping students calm around the campus, this incident could have turned into a riot or something bigger than the issue.” fortunately it didn’t.”