A Texas man and a teenager in a stolen car were arrested in Laplace on Thursday after police said they led them on a chase before the man jumped into a canal. The incident happened as officers were being told of the stolen car in the Belle Terre Boulevard and Madewood Drive area. The car was heading south toward the Airline Highway when officers attempted to stop the driver. The driver, Demaurien Taylor, 21, of North Richland Hills, Texas, refused to stop, according to deputies with the St. John Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said Taylor led them on a high-speed chase down the Airline Highway before the car turned onto Jacob Drive. At that point, deputies said Taylor and a 15-year-old girl got out of the vehicle. The teenager is from East Canton, Texas, according to the sheriff. The sheriff said Taylor and the teenager ran into the swamp. The teenager was taken into custody near a canal, but Taylor had to be rescued from the water. “Because of Taylor’s whereabouts and the logistics of retrieving him from the swamp, SWAT officers used a fast, high-buoyancy aquatic life jacket to ensure buoyancy across the channel,” Sheriff Mike Tregre said in a released statement. “It was the safest and most expedient way of getting him out of the water, off the streets and into custody.” The teenager faces charges of escaping, resisting an officer on the run. She is being held in custody. Taylor is charged with resisting an officer by plane, aggravated flight of an officer by vehicle, a felony and contributing to juvenile delinquency, a felony, and illegal possession of stolen property, also a felony. Taylor is being held in custody on a $26,500 bond.
LAPLACE, LA —
A Texas man and a teenager in a stolen car were arrested in Laplace on Thursday after police said they led them on a chase before the man jumped into a canal.
The incident happened as officers were being told of the stolen car in the Belle Terre Boulevard and Madewood Drive area.
The car was heading south toward the Airline Highway when officers attempted to stop the driver.
The driver, Demaurien Taylor, 21, of North Richland Hills, Texas, refused to stop, according to deputies with the St. John Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said Taylor led them on a high-speed chase down the Airline Highway before the car turned onto Jacob Drive.
At that point, deputies said Taylor and a 15-year-old girl got out of the vehicle. The teenager is from East Canton, Texas, according to the sheriff.
The sheriff said Taylor and the teenager ran into the swamp. The teenager was taken into custody near a canal, but Taylor had to be rescued from the water.
“Because of Taylor’s whereabouts and the logistics of retrieving him from the swamp, SWAT officers used a fast, high-buoyancy aquatic life jacket to ensure buoyancy across the channel,” Sheriff Mike Tregre said in a released statement. “This was the safest and most expedient method of getting him out of the water, off the streets and into custody.”
The teenager faces charges of fleeing and resisting an officer. She is in custody.
Taylor faces charges of resisting an officer by plane, aggravated flight by an officer by vehicle, a felony and contributing to juvenile delinquency, a felony, and illegal possession of stolen property, also a felony.
Taylor is being held in custody on a $26,500 bond.
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