NEW ORLEANS – On Wednesday, NOPD officers were flagged down by a woman saying she was involved in a “road-rage incident.”
Court documents show that the woman flagged down officers near the corner of North Broad Street and Lafitte Avenue. She claims that a man pulled up behind her in a black Ford Expedition and pointed a pistol at her through his front windshield.
She says that she followed the Expedition in an attempt to snap a picture of his license plate, but she stopped when she saw the officers and flagged them down.
Officers pulled the Expedition over a few blocks away, and determined the driver to be 48-year-old Robert Blanchard, a current NOPD Sergeant.
“This situation is disheartening, our officers are held to a higher standard and are expected to conduct themselves accordingly,” said NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson. “We are committed to holding our officers accountable. As with any accusation, of this nature, the incident will be thoroughly investigated.”
Blanchard had his police department-issued handgun, which matched the description of the weapon that he was accused of pointing at the other woman.
Blanchard faces one count of aggravated assault with a firearm, a crime that can carry up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.
Blanchard was placed on immediate suspension pending the outcome of an investigation by the Public Integrity Bureau.