Chaos at closing time

Mamou Police Chief Brent Zackery is investigating an incident which resulted in pepper spray being deployed at a local bar.
On Sunday, October 25, at approximately 11 p.m., officers with the Mamou Police Department responded to Chip’s Daiquiris on the 300 block of Main St in response to the closing bar and noise complaints.
On arrival the three officers, Lt. Deville, Sgt. Jack, and Cpl. Mouton were greeted by a large crowd of over 300 individuals. When the orders to disperse began, officers attempted to give verbal commands that the bar was closed and to vacate the premises. Multiple individuals had to be ordered many times to leave the bar, and many of the individuals encountered were in an intoxicated and uncooperative state, according to a report from Chief Zackery.
Officers were then met by a verbally combative crowd, who vastly outnumbered the three responding officers. Officers continued to issue verbal commands to disperse which were met with mixed obedience.
Eventually, Lt. Deville was met with a subject, Christina Thomas, of Opelousas. The female advanced on the officer and continued to speak vulgarities to the lieutenant. She received multiple commands the bar was closed and that she would need to leave or be placed under arrest. She ignored these orders, and entered the lieutenant’s personal space while cursing and making threats, the report continued.
At that point the lieutenant gave a final order to disperse or be arrested for remaining after forbidden. Thomas then dropped to the floor and started dancing in refusal of the order. At that point, Lt. Deville made the decision, as she was the only one blatantly refusing commands, to escort her out and detain her as per protocol. Thomas resisted heavily, pulling away from the lieutenant and beginning to grapple with him.
Thomas attempted to leave the scene once she was advised multiple times she was under arrest. The lieutenant, alone at the time, initiated an escort hold to attempt to safely restrain the subject. At that point, it is documented on body camera that Thomas threw herself back landing on the lieutenant.
A large crowd, then, surrounded the lieutenant and suspect.
Thomas ignored multiple further commands that she was under arrest, and the lieutenant was joined by the other responding officers. Once a handcuff was placed on Thomas, she flung herself forward onto the floor and feigned an “unconscious” state. The lieutenant, having been trained as an EMT, immediately rolled Thomas from her stomach and onto her back in a recovery position. Due to the chaos of the scene, multiple attempts were made to ensure officer safety while keeping a now violent crowd at a safe distance.
Once the lieutenant could safely render aid, a sternum rub was administered and received a verbal response which showed consciousness despite Thomas feigning an injury. Thomas was checked over by the lieutenant, and no trauma to her head was observed.
Thomas was checked to be breathing, with her eyes open, and conversing with family who attempted to intervene. Cpl. Mouton, as a precaution, radioed dispatch to send Acadian Ambulance, even though she refused medical attention.
Lieutenant Deville then assisted in leading Thomas from the bar into the outside for fresh air and away from the OC Aerosol deployed for crowd control. The pepper spray was deployed after Thomas was escorted out of the building. However, Thomas claims she was pepper sprayed after knocked down on the ground by the officers.
The lieutenant, then, attempted to ensure that aid was rendered multiple times in the chance that Thomas had sustained injuries.
It is documented on body camera that Thomas kicked the lieutenant multiple times and cursing him when she was no longer in her “unconscious” state.
Once Acadian Ambulance was on scene, they were escorted to Thomas, and the lieutenant assisted them in loading Thomas onto the stretcher.
Chief Brent Zackery and Asst. Chief Drew Fruge responded to the area in an attempt to assist in crowd dispersal, which still was disobeying police commands to disperse en masse.
Thomas was transported to Savoy Medical Center for medical evaluation. According to paramedics documented on body camera, Thomas was alert and oriented in the back of the ambulance with her chief complaint being pain in her arm, not her head as she initially stated from when she was “knocked out” with no injury to her head.
Once at the hospital, she was vulgar and rude to the hospital staff, documented to have refused a toxicology test, and carrying on in an apparent drunken state. As a precaution, she was released from police custody to receive treatment from the on duty physician and staff.
Once released from custody, she was told she was free to go at that time, however, in relation to the events that occurred, a warrant would be issued to be executed at a later date.
Thomas is also witnessed by medics and staff to have resisted the lieutenant once at the hospital after being given numerous verbal commands to lie in the bed and to allow herself to be handcuffed one hand to rail as a safety precaution per protocol. Thomas is witnessed to attempt fighting the lieutenant, yet again, and then once she was successfully handcuffed around one hand, feigning another “unconscious state.” Medics and staff witnessed her throw herself to the ground with no force given from the officer, and then, once Thomas realized the act was witnessed by multiple individuals, continued to fight with the lieutenant.
Christina Thomas is facing charges of remaining after forbidden and two counts of resisting an officer.