BALDWIN COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — New information was released today about Thursday’s standoff on I-65 that backed up traffic and led to the arrest of two minors from Louisiana.
The incident began when a sheriff’s deputy with the special operations unit pulled behind a 2007 Prius on I-65 northbound near mile marker 44, according to an email. When the deputy ran the tag number, they discovered the vehicle was reported stolen out of Shreveport, La.
The deputy then conducted a traffic stop. The driver complied with the officer and was taken into custody. The driver told deputies two firearms were in the vehicle’s glovebox.
A passenger in the front seat refused to comply or even acknowledge deputies and remained in the car.
Because deputies believed the passenger could be armed, they treated the situation as “a barricaded gunman.”
It was then that SWAT was activated. With an armored vehicle, they communicated with the passenger. When the passenger exited the vehicle, they were taken into custody and claimed they had been asleep.
Both driver and passenger are juveniles who had escaped juvenile detention in Louisiana.
They were transported to the juvenile center in Bay Minette and will eventually be transported back to Louisiana.
Both suspects are charged with the following:
- Receiving stolen property for the stolen car
- Receiving stolen property for the two stolen guns
- Possession of Marijuana
- Active pick-up orders out of Louisiana