Berwick arrest ends up on YouTube

After the arrest of a Bayou L’Ourse teen Friday under the La. 182 bridge in Berwick, in which the teen was arrested for allegedly blocking a private driveway while parked under the bridge, he and his dad are upset with the way police handled the incident, during which the teen recorded video of part of the encounter on his phone.
Trystan Andorf, 19, of Bayou L’Ourse, was charged Friday with obstructing or blocking a private driveway and resisting an officer, Richard said.
On Friday afternoon, Andorf had his truck parked under the La. 182 bridge in Berwick while he and his dad went to work on a job, he said.
When Andorf returned to the scene, Berwick Assistant Chief David Leonard walked up and started yelling at him and his younger cousin, he said. Andorf said Leonard told him that he was parked on Leonard’s property.
Trystan Andorf’s father, Danny Andorf, had his vehicle parked in a friend’s yard, Danny Andorf said. Danny Andorf was watching from his own truck located across the street from the La. 182 bridge and could tell that Leonard was yelling at Trystan Andorf, he said.
Therefore, Danny Andorf walked across the street to see why Leonard was yelling at his son, Danny Andorf said.
When Danny Andorf and Berwick Police Chief James Richard arrived at the scene, Trystan Andorf started recording the encounter with his phone, Trystan Andorf said.
Richard said the issue at hand was not that Trystan Andorf wasn’t allowed to park under the bridge, but that his truck was blocking Leonard’s private driveway on California Street.
During the incident, Trystan Andorf said Richard asked him if the truck parked under the bridge was his. Right before the video stopped recording on Trystan Andorf’s phone, Richard reached for Trystan Andorf’s phone without asking for it, and Trystan Andorf told Richard that he couldn’t take the phone, Trystan Andorf said.
After that, Trystan Andorf said an “off-duty cop, out of nowhere, just slammed me in my vehicle and started tackling me.” Trystan Andorf didn’t find out that the man was an off-duty Morgan City Police officer, David Leonard Jr., and Berwick assistant police chief’s son, until after he was put in handcuffs, he said.
Trystan Andorf tried to get away from David Leonard Jr., when the off-duty officer tried to arrest him because he didn’t realize the man was a police officer, Trystan Andorf said.
A Morgan City Police K-9 dog, who David Leonard Jr. had with him, ran at Trystan Andorf and grabbed his shirt “for a split second,” at which point David Leonard Jr. called the dog off, Trystan Andorf said.
Richard said police officers, while performing their duties, are allowed to call anyone they choose to give them assistance. “And that’s what happened,” Richard said.
While the off-duty officer handcuffed Trystan Andorf on the ground, he put his knee in the back of Trystan Andorf’s head, Trystan Andorf said.
Danny Andorf and Trystan Andorf told the off-duty officer that Trystan Andorf had recently had open heart surgery, Trystan Andorf said.
Richard said Berwick police will submit the case file regarding any possible criminal wrongdoing to the district court. Richard didn’t want to comment any further on the case regarding any accusations, he said. Richard said David Leonard was unable to comment on the case.
Trystan Andorf filed a complaint with the Morgan City Police Department against the off-duty Morgan City Police officer, David Leonard Jr., he said.
Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said the complaint was filed Friday involving an off-duty officer with the department. Blair said a Morgan City Police officer can be summoned to help another agency, and Blair would expect his officers to respond to a call for aid from anyone, he said.
Blair said David Leonard Jr. was already at the California Street residence in Berwick Friday when the incident occurred. Blair and David Leonard Jr. couldn’t comment on the investigation, Blair said.
The video Trystan Andorf recorded of the encounter can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z-7U3xOcUY.

This story was written by Zachary Fitzgerald of The Daily Review staff. Reach him at zfitzgerald@daily-review.com.