The Advocate
PORT BARRE, La. — Two Port Barre police officers investigating a possible hit-and-run were attacked by residents with a fishing pole, a folding chair and a bicycle -- “anything they could get their hands on,” police said in a statement.
KATC-TV reports that a mother, Lybeth Hardy of Port Barre, and her teenage son and daughter were arrested on counts of second-degree battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.
The severity of the officers’ injuries was not clear.
“These officers were there to investigate a hit-and-run crash but instead had to fight with a family of all ages, defend their own lives and nearly had to use deadly force, all because of the disrespect and aggressive lifestyle that was taught from parents to children,” Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said in a statement.
Here is Boudreaux’s full statement:
“When I arrived on scene, I was met with disrespect not only from adults but from teenagers and preteen children as well. One of the children took his shirt off and approached me in a combative manner and begin cursing me, using very vulgar language which included derogatory and racist remarks. He done this in front of his mother.
There is a parenting problem when children can stand in the presence of their parents cursing, threatening and assaulting police officers and using a racist terms towards others. These officers were there to investigate a hit-and-run crash but instead had to fight with a family of all ages, defend their own lives and nearly had to use deadly force, all because of the disrespect and aggressive lifestyle that was taught from parents to children. Had back up not arrived, had there been deadlier weapons laying around the yard, an officer, a husband, a father, could’ve lost his life over a hit and run complaint. A 15-year-old young man could have lost his life had it not been for the compassion and restraint by that police officer.
As I watched the police officers body camera videos, I was proud of the police officers’ incredible restraint and professionalism but, I felt disgust towards the mother of those children. To see a whole family of adults and children surrounding police officers cursing and disrespecting them and making threats and then assaulting them with anything they can get their hands on, which included the fishing pole, the folding chair and one young man even picked up a bicycle and struck an officer. It’s obvious this mother taught her children to disrespect authority and it could have very well cost her the life of one of her children. I find this very disturbing and disgusting. The lack of respect and lack of self-discipline.’'