In the post-George Floyd United States, men and women donning the police uniform find themselves under constant public scrutiny in the United States. Harsh critics of policing have increased in the US with most not willing to give the uniformed officers any benefit of the doubt, irrespective of the situation.
However, New Year's Eve at New Orleans' famed Canal and Bourbon Street was another story altogether. After an unidentified suspect rammed an SUV truck into a large crowd, claiming at least 10 lives and injuring many others, the police personnel at the scene valiantly took the suspect head-on.
Earthcam captures footage of the brave police officers springing into action the moment a terrorist’s vehicle plows into a crowd of New Years revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, killing 10 people and injuring dozens so far. pic.twitter.com/r950eYbR4I
— Don Keith (@RealDonKeith) January 1, 2025
Two New Orleans Police officers were taken to hospital after being shot by the accused, who, according to some reports, donned body armour and possessed an automatic rifle. The attacker died on the spot as more police officials in the line of duty rushed to the spot and engaged him in a gunfight. However, US media reports said it remains unclear if the pinned-down accused killed himself or was neutralised by the first responders.
A video went viral on the Internet that captured a bunch of New Orleans Police officers rushing to the sight of action upon receiving information about the development. They wasted no time as they waded through people who moved along the busy streets unaware of the chaos that had unwrapped in another part of Bourbon Street.
The group of policemen were standing unceremoniously and chatting in a quarter when the distress call came. The EarthCam Live captured them running to reach ground zero, suspectably after they got a radio alert.
"Police get a lot of s**t on this app, but there's still many good ones who will rush into danger at a moment's notice. This is footage from the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street. No hesitation when they get the call," one user jotted on X while sharing the video.
Police get a lot of shit on this app, but there's still many good ones who will rush into danger at a moment's notice.
— Lucky (@TheMagaHulk) January 1, 2025
This is footage from the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street.
No hesitation when they get the call.
pic.twitter.com/9qSTt284N7
"Wow. These cops on Bourbon Street went flying on foot when the call came in," another user who shared the viral video wrote.
"These police officers went straight over to the scene when the call came in on Bourbon Street, ‘French Quarter'," a third who shared the viral video said.
New Orleans Bourbon Street violence
Wow. These cops on Bourbon Street went flying on foot when the call came in. pic.twitter.com/uY2jWrbIZw
— Abby H (@KravGirl2004) January 1, 2025
(UPDATE: The FBI confirmed that the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism)
An assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office said that the department investigating the discovery of at least one suspected improvised explosive device at the scene after the suspect who rammed a pickup truck into an unsuspecting crowd celebrating New Year's Eve in New Orleans.
The attacker, who killed at least 10 people and injured 30 others on Wednesday morning died after he engaged police personnel at the scene in a gunfight. While Fox News confirmed that the man was not taken alive from the scene, it was not immediately known if he shot himself or was neutralised by the officers.