DISCLAIMER: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
CHALMETTE, La. (WGNO)— A New Orleans man is behind bars after St. Bernard Parish detectives say he led them on a chase through a Chalmette business, injured two people, and wrecked a truck while trying to escape.
According to Sheriff James Pohlmann, it all started around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, when deputies responded to the business in the 8100 block of West Judge Perez Drive for a report of an uncooperative customer, later revealed to be 21-year-old Bruce Walton, Jr.
SBSO says that when deputies came into contact with Walton, he led them on a chase through the business with unpaid items in his hands. A deputy was injured during the chase after Walton reportedly knocked her to the ground, causing her to hit her head on a nearby shelf, then the ground.
After making it outside, SBSO reports Walton then pulled a male driver from a Ford F-150 pickup truck in the parking lot, which left the driver with a head injury. Walton then got in the truck, stepped on the gas, and rammed the truck into another nearby Ford F-150.
Deputies say the suspect tried to run away from the truck after crashing it, then approached a Dodge Dakota pickup truck. He then grabbed the driver’s cellphone while trying to force him out of the vehicle, but this time, deputies were able to surround the truck and arrest Walton with some struggle.
Following his arrest, Sheriff Pohlmann adds that it was revealed Walton had shoplifted several items from the business where the incident started, along with a business in Arabi that Walton had visited earlier Monday morning.
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Walton was booked into the St. Bernard Parish Prison where he faces a list of charges, including:
- Carjacking
- Aggravated criminal damage
- Aggravated battery on a police officer
- Resisting an officer
- Aggravated battery
- Shoplifting (2 counts)
The deputy and the injured driver of the pickup truck were both taken to an area hospital for treatment and are expected to make a full recovery.