John Galman and Spencer Sutton, two officers in the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), were arrested after an off-duty fight with a Latino man that sent him to the hospital. The department has also begun termination proceedings as the two lied about what happened.
The men had claimed they were defending themselves when they beat up George Gomez early Tuesday morning. But an internal investigation by NOPD’s public integrity bureau found Galman and Spencer’s story was bogus.
“After gathering multiple video accounts and eyewitness statements, the evidence collected by our PIB investigators clearly demonstrates that our officers were the aggressors in this incident,” NOPD Chief Michael Harrison said in a statement.
Galman and Sutton graduated from NOPD’s training academy in December, but they were still in a probationary employment status.
Officers John Galman (L) and Spencer Sutton.
Gomez told WVUE that Sutton and Galman began to argue with him at Mid-City Yacht Club in New Orleans about prior military service because he wore a camouflage T-shirt and bandana.
He said Galman started talking to him about being a Marine, and Gomez responded that he served in the Army and Louisiana National Guard. Then the conversation began to escalate when the cops questioned whether he was American.
“Calling me fake American and all that; we almost look the same color so I don’t know what the difference [is] between him and me. What is the difference at this point” Gomez said.
Gomez describes himself “as a U.S. native who was raised in Honduras before returning to live in New Orleans,” according to The Advocate.
As the bar closed for the night, the argument moved outside. Gomez said he was trying to avoid Sutton and Galman but they tried to keep him around to continue arguing with him and eventually attacked him down the street from the bar.
Galman and Sutton were charged with simple battery, which in Louisiana is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison. $1,000 is the maximum fine.
Internal investigators are still deciding if the men should face more serious charges, according to the NOPD.
