Police Officer Bryan Mitchell Hebert Beaumont Police Department, Texas EoW: Friday, July 8, 2011

Police Officer

Bryan Mitchell Hebert

Beaumont Police Department, Texas
End of Watch: Friday, July 8, 2011

Biographical Info

Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Date of Incident: July 8, 2011
Weapon Used: Automobile
Suspect Info: Faces capital murder charges

Agency Contact Information

Beaumont Police Department
255 College Street
PO Box 3827
Beaumont, TX 77704
Phone: (409) 880-3865

Police Officer Bryan Hebert was killed when his patrol car was intentionally struck by another vehicle during a pursuit.
Other officers had initiated the pursuit of a man wanted for assaulting his mother and grandmother. Officer Hebert had stopped his patrol car on Dowlen Road and was removing a reflective vest and stop sticks from his trunk when the suspect veered from the travel lane and struck his patrol car head-on. The collision knocked the patrol car into Officer Hebert, who was still standing behind it.
Officer Hebert was transported to Christus St Elizabeth Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The driver of the vehicle is facing capital murder charges in connection with Officer Hebert’s death.
Officer Hebert had served with the Beaumont Police Department for 10 years. He is survived by his parents, sister, and grandparents.

BEAUMONT – A Capital Murder warrant has been issued for the arrest of a suspect accused of deliberately driving into and killing a Beaumont Police Department officer during a chase.

John Wesley Nero, 30, is accused of Capital Murder in the death of 36-year-old Ofc. Bryan Mitchell Hebert, a 10 year veteran of the Beaumont Police Department.  Nero was involved in a chase and police investigators say he deliberately drove into the officer’s patrol car while Hebert was outside the vehicle Friday night trying to stop the suspect on Dowlen Road near Ivanhoe, close to Phelan.

Nero’s bond is $250,000. He remains at Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth where he’s listed in serious condition.

KFDM News has obtained the Probable Cause Affadavit for Nero’s arrest. Detective Jesus Tamayo provided the statements in the warrant:

"On Friday, July 08, 2011, at approximately 6:00 pm, Beaumont Police Officers responded to the {5900 block) of Chisholm Trail, Beaumont, Texas, in reference to a Family Violence call. The alleged actor, JOHN WESLEY NERO w/m dob: 02-12-81, was gone upon officers’ arrival. Famly members told officers NERO had assaulted his mother and grandmother, an elderly person. Nero’s mother told officers that during the assault, Nero threatened that if the police were called, he would kill everyone. At approximately 10:00 pm, NERO allegedly returned to the residence, and the police were called a second time. Upon officers arrival, the victims advised officers of a possible location where NERO could be located. Officer K. Stevenson located NERO and his vehicle in the parking lot of Kohls, located at 4075 Dowlen Road, and attempted to detain NERO for the earlier injury to an elderly person and assault. NERO fled in his vehicle, in order to evade detention, and led officers on a high speed pursuit that lasted approximately seven minutes. During the pursuit, NERO was observed committing acts clearly dangerous to human life. At one point, he was observed driving with his headlights off, and disregarding numerous traffic laws. As the pursuit reached the 500 BLK of Dowlen, BPD Officer B. Hebert had stopped in the turning lane to attempt to deploy a tire deflating device. At the time, Officer B. Hebert was wearing a Class A Beaumont PD Uniform, equipped with a badge and distinctive insignia which clearly identifed him as a Beaumont Police Officer. As NERO approached Officer Hebert’s vehicle, which had its emergency lights operating, witnesses stated NERO made no attempt to slow his vehicle down, but instead directed his vehicle towards Officer Hebert’s clearly visible patrol vehicle, which Officer Hebert was standing next to. NERO’s vehicle struck Officer Hebert’s vehicle and Office Hebert. A direct result of the collision caused fatal injuries to Officer Hebert."  

During a 4 a.m. Saturday news conference, Beaumont Police Chief Frank Coffin said Ofc. Hebert had stopped on Dowlen near Ivanhoe at about 10:40 p.m. Friday and had gone to the back of his unit to pull out spike strips to stop the 30-year-old chase suspect, who was driving a 2008 Maroon Dodge Nitro. The suspect swerved and struck the front of the officer’s unit head-on, pushing the back of the patrol unit into the officer while he was still behind it.

The officer was taken to Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth where he died.

Officer Hebert wasn’t married and had no children. He’s survived by his parents and other relatives.

The suspect was taken to Christus and has non-life threatening injuries. Toxicology tests will be done on the suspect, which is standard procedure in such an investigation.

Chief Coffin said the man lives in the 5900 block of Chisholm Trail in Beaumont with his mother. Coffin said earlier Friday evening the suspect’s mother and grandmother caught him looking at what they thought was child pornography, and when they confronted him about that he became enraged. Coffin said the man struck his mother and grandmother and left the home. There are also reports he may have threatened them with a gun. Police didn’t find a gun in the man’s car.

Officers spotted the man behind Kohl’s later Friday evening and tried to speak with him but say he sped away. They say he led officers on a chase at a high rate of speed on Dowlen Road to Highway 69 near Parkdale. The pursuit continued on Highway 69 South to Interstate 10. The suspect exited I-10 at College and turned right on Dowlen.

Ofc. Hebert parked in the turning lane in the 4000 block of Dowlen near Ivanhoe and was behind his vehicle, preparing to get spike strips to stop the vehicle, when the suspect’s SUV swerved and struck the patrol car head on. The impact pushed the rear of the patrol car into the officer.

Police have interviewed several witnesses. They believe a number of people saw what happened and they’re asking the witnesses to call Beaumont Crime Stoppers at 833-TIPS to provide more information.

Port Arthur Police Chief Mark Blanton told KFDM News he’s sending about "half of his force" to Beaumont to help patrol and provide whatever assistance they can while Beaumont Police mourn the death of their colleague.

Until Friday night, the last Beaumont officer killed in the line of duty was Lisa Beaulieu on April 27, 2007 when she was struck by a drunk driver while she was providing traffic assistance at an accident scene on the Eastex Freeway near Delaware.

Ofc. Hebert was sworn in on January 19, 2001. He’d been a correctional officer prior to joining the Beaumont Police Department. KFDM News interviewed Hebert when he took the oath of office.

"I’ve been in quite a few stressful situations at the jail, and you kind of know yourself better going into that," said Ofc. Hebert on January 19, 2001. "You know how you’re going to react in different situations. The jail’s better prepared me for this, matured me a little better, dealing with the criminal type, being out at the jail has made me learn a lot of my limits."

Ofc. Hebert is now the 17th Beaumont Police Officer to die in the line of duty since 1881. You can learn more about the lives of previous officers lost by visiting the Beaumont Officer’s Memorial website by clicking here.