Two Texans, attempted to evade St. John deputies by running into a swamp

ST. JOHN PARISH (WGNO) — A man and juvenile both from Texas, are in a St. Bernard Parish jail after reportedly stealing a vehicle and leading deputies on a chase,

On Thursday (March 16), the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office were alerted of a stolen vehicle traveling south in the area of Belle Terre Boulevard and Madewood Drive, heading toward Airline Highway in LaPlace. Deputies attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver refused to stop.

With deputies close behind them, the vehicle’s occupants, identified as 21-year-old Demaurien Taylor and a 15-year-old female, went on a high-speed pursuit down Airline Hwy. They turned on Jacob Drive and then off-road and into a nearby pasture.

Taylor and the female then got out of the vehicle and ran into the nearby swamp. Deputies set up a perimeter Bert and Gardenia streets. With assistance from a St. John Parish Fire Department drone and SWAT officers both were quickly captured and arrested.

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The female juvenile was captured near a canal.

“Due to Taylor’s location and the logistics of getting him out of the swamp, SWAT officers utilized a high buoyancy swift water rescue vest to provide floatation across the canal,” Sheriff Mike Tregre said. “This provided the safest, most expedient method for getting him out of the water, off the street and into custody.”

The 15-year-old is charged with fleeing resisting an officer by flight and is being held in custody. Taylor faces charges of:

• Resisting an officer by flight (misd)
• Aggravated flight an officer by vehicle (felony)
• Contributing to the delinquency of juveniles (felony)
• Illegal possession of stolen things (felony)

Taylor is being held in custody on a bond of $26,500.