Disclaimer: All persons are innocent until proven guilty.

According to reports, two incidents involving officers from Monroe Police Department occurred in the area of Plum St. and South 3rd St. On Wednesday afternoon, August 24, 2022, the MPD SWAT Team arrived in the area dressed in heavy tactical gear, as if they were about to go to war with unknown criminals. Residents were very concerned because of the heavy presence of officers and had no clue what was happening. Sources shared that a large crowd watched and waited to see what was unfolding. The SWAT team eventually left abruptly without explaining why so many officers were on the scene. As of press time, Mayor Friday Ellis nor Monroe Police Chief Vic Zordan have offered any remarks regarding the alleged raid. On Thursday, August 25, another incident occurred in the same area. Shortly before 4:00 PM, an officer observed and later identified Billy Coleman on South 3rd St., running from a house, and removed a black semi-automatic handgun from his waist. As an officer turned around to contact Coleman, he lost sight of him. The officer eventually tracked Coleman down, but the weapon was no longer in his possession. The officer did, however, find him in possession of a significant amount of marijuana. Although the weapon was never located, Coleman was also wanted for two counts of Home Invasion, two counts of Domestic Abuse Battery, Simple Battery, and Simple Criminal Damage to Property. Quinntavious Crump was also found and arrested at the scene for an outstanding Monroe City court warrant. During the booking process, he was found in possession of marijuana and crack cocaine. Coleman and Crump were booked at the Ouachita Correctional Center on all charges. A third individual, identified by police as Jean Lee Taylor, was arrested on Tuesday, August 24, 2022, around 3:00 PM near Lexington Elementary School for allegedly having marijuana, 14 ecstasy pills, and hydrocodone packaged for street-level sales. Taylor was arrested for two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute CDS-1, Possession of CDS-2, and Possession of Drugs in a Drug-Free (School) Zone. He was booked at Ouachita Correctional Center on those charges and outstanding warrants. The question still remains, why was the SWAT team at Plum St. and S. 3rd? No one seems to know nor share any information. Surely the police chief knows, and the mayor should know. Hopefully, the silence will end soon, and at the least, the District's council representative can offer some insight and reassurance to residents since other city leaders aren't.