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Teacher went berserk in frustration over flooding, pulled gun and now facing school investigation

3 years 8 months 1 week ago Tuesday, July 07 2020 Jul 7, 2020 July 07, 2020 4:31 PM July 07, 2020 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE- Neighbors of the woman who was caught on video brandishing a handgun and a baseball bat trying to get people not to drive down a flooded street tell WBRZ her family had just finished renovating their house from a flood last year.

The neighbors do not condone the aggressive behavior that was captured in cell phone videos.

Demetra Turner-Louis and her family were making their way home on a flooded street in Shenandoah when they came upon Bridgette Digerolamo. They said Digerolamo became irate and hit their vehicle with a baseball bat before going to retrieve a handgun.

"I was just worried that something might escalate," a neighbor told WBRZ. "She was very upset, trying to stop the cars from coming from both ends, and it escalated from there very quickly."

Turner-Louis said things would have turned out much differently if she had a weapon.

"Her husband attempt to ask us... he spoke to my husband... if we would consider dropping the charges," Turner-Louis said. "I said no. The gun could have gone off and I could be dead, and anyone else could be. She needs to understand that's not the way you do things."

WBRZ showed up at Digerolamo's home. No one answered the door.

Neighbors said a new subdivision that was built behind theirs has totally changed the drainage.

"There was no time to even call anyone to get barricades up because it came up so quickly," another neighbor said.

Turner-Louis intends to go all the way with the charges.

"You don't play with guns and threaten people," Turner-Louis said. "If we had a gun it could have been a different outcome. To witness my child screaming and seeing this, and I'm outside the car, I don't know her state of mind. She could have shot me."

Digerolamo was released from jail after her arrest Tuesday. Her bond was set at $2,500.

Digerolamo is a P.E. teacher in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. The district released the following statement.

"The East Baton Rouge Parish School System is aware of an incident that occurred Monday, July 6, involving an employee. Per district policy, we are conducting an investigation of this incident and, following completion of the investigation, will make a final determination pursuant to district policies and procedures."

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