COVINGTON, La. (WGNO) — A police pursuit left a man behind bars and a St. Tammany Parish deputy injured on Saturday, March 12.
Deputies arrested 24-year-old Kody McElveen of Abita Springs in the parking lot of a Rouses after police say he struck an STPSO deputy during a police chase across multiple highways.
STPSO reports that around 1 p.m., one deputy was patrolling the area of LA Highway 36 near Covington when they saw a white Dodge Hellcat without license plates.
When the deputy tried to conduct a traffic stop, the driver, later revealed as McElveen, continued on LA 36 before turning onto US 190 near Claiborne Hill.
The pursuit continued to escalate as the Hellcat continued down US 190 and then headed west onto I-12. Officers from the Covington Police Department joined STPSO deputies to stop the chase.
As the pursuit continued on I-12, STPSO says another deputy positioned spike strips near the LA Highway 21 exit.
It was soon after that the chase approached the spike strips. McElveen then swerved to miss the spikes, reportedly striking the deputy instead.
The car continued down the highway, exiting at LA 1077.
A short time later, police located the Dodge Hellcat in a nearby Rouses parking lot and were told by witnesses that McElveen had entered the store.
When the suspect walked out of the Rouses, he saw deputies were waiting outside and tried to run. Deputies captured McElveen in the parking lot, also discovering he had been carrying a firearm.
McElveen was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Correctional Center on the following charges:
- Attempted murder of a police officer
- Aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer
- Illegal possession of a firearm
- Aggravated flight from an officer
- Reckless operation
- Posession of marijuana
- Multiple counts of failure to stop or yield
The deputy was treated for minor injuries at an area hospital. Sheriff Randy Smith commented on the incident, saying:
“This is an example of how dangerous our deputies’ jobs are. I am thankful this deputy sustained on minor injuries. It could have been much worse.”
STPSO says the investigation remains ongoing.