DISCLAIMER: ALL PERSONS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
SLIDELL, La. (WGNO)— A 14-year-old has been arrested detectives say he led several Slidell police officers on a high-speed off-road chase in an ATV, leaving at least one person injured. According to the Slidell Police Department, the juvenile was taken into custody on Thursday around 3 pm, less than 24 hours after the incident.
SPD says the teen was identified as a suspect in the chase late Wednesday night after multiple tips led police to a home in the Oak Harbor area. However, perhaps the biggest tip received by detectives was from the suspect himself after reportedly posting a picture of a blue Can-Am Maverick X3 on social media.
According to the police department, the suspect was logged going nearly 80 miles per hour through the busy Fremaux Town Center around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. This led to a police chase through a city that eventually led to an off-road pursuit along a levee near Oak Harbor. Police lost sight of the vehicle once the driver cut through to I-10.
The chase resulted in a crash involving a Slidell officer who was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor, non-life threatening injuries. Other details on their medical condition were unavailable.
The teen was booked on charges that include:
- Aggravated From and Officer
- Aggravated Obstruction of a Highway
- Reckless Operation of an Off-Road Vehicle
- Negligent Injuring
- Operating an Off-Road Vehicle on a Public Roadway