Two white New Orleans police officers have been fired after they were accused of beating a Hispanic man who they allegedly called a ‘fake American.’
John Galman, 24, and 26-year-old Spencer Sutton were charged with counts of simple battery after the Tuesday altercation near the Mid-City Yacht Club. They pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
But NOPD Superintendent Michael Harrison said on Thursday that the investigation ‘could very well lead to further charges,’ according to the Times-Picayune.
He also added that the case would be looked into for being a hate crime.
Harrison said that evidence showed that the pair were ‘clearly’ the aggressors in their attack against George Gomez.
John Galman, 24, (left) and 26-year-old Spencer Sutton (right) pleaded not guilty to simple battery charges and were fired from the New Orleans Police Department
Police Superintendent Michael Harrison said that evidence showed that the pair were ‘clearly’ the aggressors in their attack against 36-year-old George Gomez
‘Members of our department are expected to comply with the law and adhere to the highest standards of professional conduct, whether on- or off-duty,’ Harrison’s statement said, according to The Advocate.
‘The swift pace at which the Public Integrity Bureau investigated this incident and the decisive actions taken by the NOPD … by arresting the officers and starting the termination process clearly demonstrate how seriously our department views their actions.’
Gomez, 36, sustained cuts to his face and severe bruising and swelling as a result of the attack. He was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday.
Recalling the events of the attack, Gomez – who describes himself as a U.S. native who moved to Honduras before returning back to New Orleans – said that neither of the officers identified themselves as NOPD.
He said that the men had issue with the camouflage attire he was wearing while at the bar that the three had frequented
The two assailants, who are white, allegedly told Gomez that they did not like that he was wearing a camouflage shirt and bandana.
‘He asked me if I was American. I told him yes, and he got mad because he said I was fake,’ said Gomez, who speaks both English and Spanish.
Gomez explained to the two officers that he served in the Louisiana National Guard but asserts that that wasn’t enough for the two.
He shared that he had seen them at the same bar before, but they had never had a confrontation before, WWL-TV reports.
The man said that he tried to leave the bar after it closed for the night, but the two officers refused to let him leave.
Gomez, 36, sustained cuts to his face and severe bruising and swelling as a result of the attack
And as he tried to leave the bar in his truck, Sutton and Galman stopped him in the middle of the street at Baudin and South Murat.
‘We are gonna kill you,’ he said that the pair threatened to him before they began beating him.
Neighbors recalled hearing Gomez screaming for help from down the street.
‘They just beat him in the head,’ one said. ‘The whole neighborhood, I believe, heard it. You had to. He was screaming.’
Gomez had a cane with him and he tried to use it to ward off the attackers.
‘I tried to defend myself, but I couldn’t,’ Gomez added.
An investigation is still underway to determine if Sutton and Galman – who graduated from the NOPD academy in December – will receive any additional charges.
The two were said to have still been on their probationary period since joining the force.