SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – A usual afternoon run to the Circle K on Olive Street was an unforgettable day for Jessica Green, the woman who rescued a Shreveport police officer on Wednesday.
“I saw a lady and a man, and one was a police officer, and they were pushing each other, struggling,” Green said. “She was trying to get his hands behind his back, and he was not having it.”
Green exited her car to see how she could assist the officer.
“And I went over there, and I was like, ‘what’s going on,’ Green said.
Green said the officer kept giving commands, but the offender, identified as 29-year-old David Streetman, refused to comply.
“Give me your hands! Give me your hands!’ And he kept saying, ‘I’m not giving you my hands.’ And he kept pushing her.”
Green, who lives nearby, says she did the only thing she knew how to do – talk.
“So, I definitely try to talk him down, and let him know it’s not worth it. You know, you’re going to be OK, and please stop hurting her.”
But the man did not stop.
She says he punched the female officer multiple times in the face.
“She had a little blood on her lip, and her face was solid red. I felt so bad for her.”
Green says she called out for help.
And finally, help did arrive – from a man who was coming out of the store.
“So he took his arms and wrapped him around the man in the back to make sure he was detained from hitting her any furthur. So he was able to hold him until the other officers got there.”
Shreveport police say they typically would not send an officer alone.
“With that being said, one officer may be coming from a closer proximity than the other. So there are time where the officers are alone,” says Cpl. Chris Bordelon.
Bordelon says both male and female officers receive the same training.
“Our female officers are just as capable in many ways as our male officers. And they’re trained into hand-to-hand tactics we used; the straight batons that were issued; our tasers; our mace,” he says.
Bordelon still urges women to join the force. He said they don’t have any reasons to believe that female officers are being targeted.
“We want to promote females coming into our industry. There is a lot of data that showed female officers in a lot of ways are just as or more effective than male officers. So we don’t want these type of incidents to discuss any females that would want to get into law enforcement as a career. These are isolated incidents.”
The officer is expected to make a full recover, and only suffered minor injuries. Bordelon saidshe’s a “tough cookie.”
“She kept pushing through like nothing was going to stop her from protecting everyone else around her. So she did a wonderful job,” says Green.
