Man jumps from bridge to escape cops before body is found in bayou, Louisiana police
A man accused of leading police on a high-speed chase died after leaping into a Louisiana bayou, police said.
The man’s body was pulled from Bayou Lafourche around 2 a.m. Wednesday, March 1, according to the Thibodaux Police Department. Authorities said he was trying to escape police when he got out of his moving car on the Jackson Street Bridge and hopped over the railing into the water below.
He “did surface at some point but (it) appeared that he was having difficulty staying above water,” a news release reads.
Officers went into the water to help him but couldn’t find him, according to the release.
The chase started around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, when a deputy tried to stop a car that was speeding with its lights off on Highway 308 in Labadieville, WGNO reported, citing the Assumption Parish Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said the chase topped speeds of 115 mph as they tailed the driver into Lafourche Parish.
The man, who wasn’t named, was wanted on a warrant out of Thibodaux for failure to appear on a theft charge, according to WVUE.
Authorities said the incident remains under investigation.
Thibodaux is about 60 miles southwest of New Orleans.
This story was originally published March 1, 2023 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Man jumps from bridge to escape cops before body is found in bayou, Louisiana police."