NEW ORLEANS – Two fugitives were injured in the Garden District this morning after they drove their vehicle toward a US Marshal and the Marshal opened fire.
Scott Illing, the US Marshal for New Orleans, said the man and woman were approached by the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force on Annunciation Street around 10:30 a.m. on September 10.
The pair of fugitives were wanted for aggravated assault on a police officer in Amarillo, Texas, Illing said.
“The officers were able to make a traffic stop, and attempted to get the subjects out of the car,” he said. “They attempted to drive off and attempted to strike one of the task force officers.”
The task force officer, a deputy with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office who had been deputized by the Marshals, feared for his life, Illing said.
“That task force officer felt his life was in danger,” he said. “He was almost hit by the car. He drew his weapon and fired shots into the vehicle. A short pursuit happened after that, which lasted less than a minute. They were driving so erratically that they called the pursuit off.”
The pair of fugitives showed up at a local emergency room soon after the shooting, Illing said.
The man, who was driving, had been shot in the shoulder and hand, and the woman suffered a graze wound.
Both were arrested at the hospital without further incident.