Man faces charges after confrontation with Carson City officers at accident scene

A 28-year-old Louisiana man was arrested and faces multiple misdemeanor charges after causing a disturbance while officers tried to aid victims of Saturday's injury accident that sent three to a Reno trauma center by air ambulance.

A second man involved in the verbal confrontation with officers admitted later that he was out of line, was wrong and faces a lesser charge.

According to the arrest report, officers arrived at the scene of the Silver Oak Drive accident at 2:05 where several people had surrounded the crash site. Emergency crews had not arrived and the arresting officer was one of two arriving first on the scene.

As a deputy arrived several people asked the officer to bring a fire extinguisher because one of the vehicles from the crash was on fire.

The officer retrieved the extinguisher from his patrol car and moved to the crash site. Several people gathered around the accident scene and fire. According to the report, a deputy told the crowd to move back from the scene for safety reasons. That's when two men began to harass the officer with expletives as he tried to get control of the situation by asking the crowd to move back.

The two men began to harass the officer, saying he was worthless and not helping. According to the arrest report, the two men were causing a disruption of the crowd, escalating and worsening the situation.

One of the men then walked up to the officer, got into his face and began yelling at him, calling him names. The officer pushed him away. The 28-year-old suspect did the same thing and the officer pushed him away.

The two men continued to swear and harass the officer, after the officer told them to stop. The officer then pulled out his baton, which stopped some of the melee. The report did not specify whether the officer used the baton other than he just pulled it out.

The incident apparently happened before ambulance and paramedics arrived, preventing officers to render aid to the injured on the scene, according to the arrest report.

As other officers arrived, the arresting officer approached one of the men and told him to turn around because he was going to be arrested. The man did not listen to the request. The officer then turned the man around and put his hands around his back. The man stopped yelling and cursing and said he would leave if the officer didn't arrest him.

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old suspect began yelling at the officer and getting into his face, preventing the officer from getting aid to the injured and to control the crowd. The officer made the decision at that time to release the man and he told him not to come back or he would arrest him, according to the report.

More officers began to arrive on the scene and were able to get the crowd to back away from the accident scene and to keep a safe distance. As emergency medical crews arrived to help the victims, along with other officers who arrived to control the crowd, the deputy explained to his fellow officers what had happened.

Later the deputies arrived at the apartment of one of the men, where the 28-year-old man was also there. Officers decided to arrest both men.

As deputies attempted to handcuff the 28-year-old suspect, the man would not put his hands behind his head, struggled and fought with the officers, according to the arrest report.

The other man was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with the arresting officer. The man stated he became upset because the officer was telling him to move away from the scene. He admitted to the officer that he had acted "like an idiot."

According the arrest report, the man became cooperative in the interview saying he was in the military and knew the officer was just doing his job and that crowd control is part of the job. The man filled out a statement and faces a single charge of obstructing an officer.

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Louisiana man faces charges of assault on an officer, breach of peace, obstructing an officer and disorderly conduct.