Finding out that one of your regulars was assaulted outside of your front door has to be any neighborhood bar owner’s worst nightmare. But Mid-City Yacht Club‘s higher-ups aren’t going to let the horrific story of what happened to their customer George Gomez — an alleged assault by two off-duty NOPD officers — freeze them up one bit. The bar is already offering to host a fundraiser to help cover Gomez’s medical costs.
The Yacht Club shared their response to the assault on Facebook, saying that they were “sickened” to hear that two rookie officers from the NOPD allegedly assaulted Gomez after questioning whether on not he was an American citizen.
“The MCYC family is extremely concerned,” they continued in a Facebook post. “We will plan a fundraiser, as long as it is with Mr Gomez blessing, to help raise money to support Mr. Gomez during this difficult time.”
The fight began after rookie officers John Galman and Spencer Sutton approached Gomez in the bar and took offense to his camouflage outfit. Gomez said that the two officers — who have since been arrested by the NOPD on battery charges and are in the process of being terminated by the department — did not believe him when he said he was an American citizen.
“He asked me if I was American. I told him yes, and he got mad because he said I was fake,” Gomez told The Advocate. Gomez explained that he was born in the U.S. and raised in Honduras. He moved back to the U.S. as an adult and served in the Louisiana National Guard.
Police Superintendent Michael Harrison released a statement condemning the actions of the officers and underlining how seriously the department takes transgressions by its officers.
“Members of our department are expected to comply with the law and adhere to the highest standards of professional conduct, whether on- or off-duty,” Harrison’s statement said, after noting that Galman and Sutton were “clearly” the cause of the altercation. “Starting the termination process clearly [demonstrates] how seriously our department views their actions.”
We will update this post with information on Gomez’s fundraiser should it become available.
