The Baton Rouge Police Department is halting all nighttime helicopter flights as the agency tries to answer why a plane manning two of its officers crashed during a high-speed chase, killing both men unbeknownst to the department until eight hours later.
Sergeant David Poirrier and Cpl. Scotty Canezaro died when the helicopter they were piloting in pursuit of a 23-year-old hit-and-run suspect crashed near Erwinville in the West Baton Rouge community early Sunday.
The Baton Rouge Police Department announced Tuesday that it has imposed a moratorium on nighttime helicopter flights as the department investigates what went wrong during the incident, which is also under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. BRPD spokesman Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said the agency is reviewing all aspects of the flight policy, such as: B. the notifications the Department of Flights requires and “why no notification was made” for the ill-fated Sunday flight.
The police only responded several hours after the accident at the scene of the accident. Despite the fact that BRPD broke off the pursuit around 2:35 a.m. – and the helicopter crashed shortly thereafter – the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said it was not made aware of the crash until just before 11 a.m. by one of the pilot’s family members a search has been requested.
The crash has also left friends and family of the two officers searching for answers.
Thomas Jones, a school resource officer with the Iberville Sheriff’s Office and a longtime friend of Canezaro, said he was frustrated by the lack of responses and perplexed by the FAA’s preliminary report, which found the helicopter crashed after its tail rotor hit a tree.
Canezaro, whom Jones described as “crazy but funny,” was a real natural when it came to flying, Jones said. The 16-year BRPD veteran is an experienced pilot and knows better than to fly his plane too close to the ground.
Jones added he didn’t think poor visibility was a factor in the men’s crash, noting that altimeters on the helicopter warned them if they were flying too low.
“For them to hit a tree? Something must have happened,” Jones said. “If they had tried to make an emergency landing, wouldn’t they have called the dispatcher and the dispatcher would not have spoken to you? Wasn’t the radio working?”
Poirrier and Canezaro were named BRPD Officers of the Month for October 2019. Both men were licensed helicopter pilots and trained tactical flight officers who “played an important role in apprehending fleeing suspects during active pursuits,” according to a post published Monday on the BRPD’s Facebook page. The department hailed the men as outstanding representatives of the BRPD’s mission and values.
Police officials said the pair were helping to track Baton Rouge resident Deandre Bessye, 23, when their helicopter crashed.
BRPD officers followed Bessye as the chase — which reached speeds of nearly 150 miles per hour — crossed West Baton Rouge Parish on Interstate 10 just before 2:30 a.m., the West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office said. According to the sheriff, BRPD broke off the chase near the intersection of the US Highway. 190 and Bueche Rd at 2:35 p.m
An affidavit for Bessye’s arrest says police began chasing him when he refused to stop for an officer after hitting another car while near the intersection of Sherwood Forest Boulevard and North Harrell’s Ferry Road drove too fast.
Bessye was taken into custody by the US Marshals Task Force on Sunday afternoon. He was sentenced to West Baton Rouge Parish Jail for two counts of manslaughter, aggravated escape from an officer and obstruction of a trade route. His bond in West Baton Rouge was priced at $950,000.
He is also being arrested in East Baton Rouge Parish on one charge of hit-and-run and one charge of aggravating an officer’s escape, a BRPD spokesman said.
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