Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
PONCHATOULA, La. (WGNO) — A Ponchatoula man was arrested in connection to a domestic incident and standoff on Wednesday, Oct. 25.
According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested 51-year-old Lou Stephens after they received a call from a victim alleging physical abuse.
Deputies say the call came in around 5 p.m. from North 11th Street. When they arrived, deputies were met by the victim who gave a recount of the incident.
Stephens, who they say was armed with a knife, refused to exit the house and allegedly told deputies that he had a firearm in his possession, leading to a standoff between him and law enforcement.
The Special Response Team along with a negotiation team were called to the scene and attempted to communicate with Stephens.
After several failed attempts to communicate and due to Stephen’s apparent decline to cooperate, deputies released a chemical agent forcing Stephen to surrender without harm.
Stephens was arrested and booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on charges of:
- Domestic abuse aggravated assault
- Resisting an officer
- Battery on a police officer
- Attempted disarming of a police officer
Before being booked, deputies took Stephens to a local hospital for evaluation where he acted erratically, allegedly hitting a deputy in the face and attempting to take a deputy’s gun.
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