A carjacking suspect was fatally struck by a vehicle on a highway while he was trying to escape authorities following a car chase, according to the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD).
The suspect exited a stolen SUV and attempted to flee across Interstate 10 by foot, only to be fatally struck in an eastbound lane by an oncoming vehicle at some point after 10:22 p.m. on Monday.
Police will not confirm the deceased man’s identity until the coroner’s report is completed, NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Prior to the fatal accident, police were searching for a black Chevrolet Equinox that was stolen on August 1. Two men had allegedly stolen the SUV, along with a phone and wallet, from a 55-year-old male victim in the 900 block of Nunez Street at around 1:00 p.m.
On Monday night, police spotted the vehicle and started an authorized pursuit after the driver did not obey orders to pull over on Bullard Avenue and the Interstate 10 North Service Road.
After a short police chase, the driver stopped the vehicle in the 1200 block of the Interstate 10 North Service road, where three people subsequently exited.
Two suspects fled into a nearby neighborhood, and a third suspect jumped a fence onto the interstate while being chased by a police officer.
The third suspect crossed the westbound lanes before being fatally struck by an oncoming vehicle in an eastbound lane.
The driver of the vehicle that struck the suspect was a man traveling with a woman and a baby, according to police. The driver will not be cited with charges.
“It was very traumatic for all three of them,” Ferguson stated.
Police are still searching for the other two suspects who fled the stolen vehicle.
Ferguson noted that the investigation of the pursuit is ongoing, along with the initial carjacking.
Carjackings in New Orleans this year have spiked by 91 percent since 2020 and 9 percent since 2021, according to Metropolitan Crime Commission via NOLA.com. Overall, there have been 191 carjackings documented.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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