By Littice Bacon-Blood
Times-Picayune
NEW ORLEANS — A 20-year-old Reserve man is in jail after wrestling with a sheriff’s deputy over a loaded handgun Wednesday morning on River Road, St. John the Baptist Parish authorities say. The deputy was able to subdue the man with the help of two Cargill workers who saw the struggle, investigators say.
St. John sheriff’s investigators say the incident began shortly before 11 a.m. near Cargill Inc. in Reserve when Deputy Jarret Vicknair tried to arrest Kentrell Hayes in connection with a shooting in December.
Responding to a tip, Vicknair stopped a two-door Honda Civic and spotted Hayes in the back seat, investigators say.
When told that he was under arrest, Hayes pulled a 9 mm handgun from the waistband of his pants and pointed it at Vicknair, who grabbed the gun and held on, authorities say.
During the tussle, Hayes broke the deputy’s nose with a kick in the face and bit him on the temple, causing a deep cut, they say.
“It’s a good thing he held on to the gun,” Sheriff’s Office spokesman Maj. Mike Tregre said. “The deputy said he knew that (Hayes) would shoot him, that’s why he held on.”
The gun, which had an extended clip, has a capacity of 30 bullets, Tregre said. He didn’t know how many bullets were in the gun during the fight.
Vicknair managed to subdue Hayes with the help of two Cargill workers who saw the fight and intervened.
“They held him until additional police officers came on the scene,” Tregre said.
Vicknair, 39 and a 19-year veteran of the force, was taken by ambulance to River Parishes Hospital in LaPlace where he was treated and released. Hayes, who gave his address as 1740 Creole St., remained in jail Thursday booked with resisting an officer, battery of an officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated criminal damage to property.
The second attempted murder charge and the charge for criminal damage to property stem from a shooting on Dec. 21. Authorities say Hayes fired multiple gunshots at a man sitting in a vehicle on East 22nd Street in Reserve.
The man, who identified Hayes as the shooter, escaped without injury and alerted deputies, Tregre said.
Copyright 2009 Times-Picayune
Weapon retention training tips:
Weapon retention training
Using a suspect’s weight to prevent disarming
Don’t offer a suspect your gun; Get up!
Confrontation Management: The 10 Commandments of Officer Survival
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