Authorities arrested a Louisiana man on Monday after he allegedly cut off his mother's arm and injured two police officers, Law & Crime reported.
Authorities have arrested John Pittman, 34, for allegedly attacking his 70-year-old mother with a chainsaw, severed her arm. The incident occurred in the early afternoon of July 22, with two officers sustaining additional injuries as they attempted to arrest the suspect. according to To Law&Crime: New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers responded to a call in the area around 2pm and found an elderly woman with a severed arm and severed neck injuries.
'Just like what you see on TV': Man cuts off mother's arm with chainsaw, 2 officers sent to hospital, police say https://t.co/HT1oXhAVnm
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) July 23, 2024
New Orleans police spokesperson Reese Harper confirmed that the victim was quickly taken to a hospital and remained in critical condition as of Monday afternoon. WDSU “It's very shocking to see and hear something like this. It's disturbing,” a nearby resident told WDSU, according to the report.
Police received a description of the suspect and tracked him to a nearby home, Law & Crime reported. When they confronted Pittman at the second location, he allegedly resisted arrest and injured two officers during the struggle. One officer fell down the front steps, breaking his leg and injuring his head and neck, and the other suffered a bite wound to his arm. Both officers have since been released from the hospital. (Related article: Pennsylvania man dressed in 'Scream' costume allegedly murders neighbor with chainsaw and knife)
An employee of firewood distributor Glad stands next to a chainsaw in Wissembourg, eastern France, on December 15, 2022. (Photo: Sébastien Bozon/AFP via Getty Images)
Pittman was eventually subdued with a stun gun and arrested. He suffered multiple abrasions and lost a tooth during the arrest, WSDU added. Authorities also recovered a chainsaw from the residence and entered it into evidence.
This isn't Pittman's first run-in with the law, WVUE reportAccording to reports, he attacked a 73-year-old man at a bus stop in 2023. He is currently being held on $300,000 bail and faces charges of aggravated assault with bodily injury and resisting arrest. The motive for this brutal attack remains unclear, but Governor Harper has suggested that mental health issues may be an underlying factor.
