Urine tossed from New Orleans parade float

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NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A reveler who allegedly threw urine from a pre-Mardi Gras parade float has been banned from the event and is under investigation, New Orleans police said.

The Krewe of Bacchus, organizers of Sunday's event, removed the rider, one of 1,400 in the parade, from the float and permanently banned him from the organization, WVUE-TV, New Orleans, reported, adding police immediately issued him a summons for simple battery and public urination.

Rick and Donna Ezell of Slidell said they and about 20 family members were watching the parade in front of a hotel when the rider threw a container of urine at them, splashing the family and another parade observer, a woman in a wheelchair.

"Bacchus doesn't stand for this. This is not something Bacchus condones," said Clark Brennan, a member of the Bacchus board of directors, who added each float in the parade had its own portable toilet.

The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office is investigating the incident, and the Ezells may file a civil suit against the rider, the (New Orleans) Times-Picayune reported Friday.