CROWLEY, La. — UPDATE: Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations announced the arrest of Dusty Rudolph Johnson, 35, of Crowley in connection to the officer-involved shooting that happened Wednesday in Crowley.
LSP's investigation found Johnson drove a Chevrolet Trax to a home in Eunice, where he threatened and attempted to kidnap the homeowner with a firearm and stole a vehicle. He then drove to a gas station, where he fired at a patron and hit their vehicle. Johnson later returned to the home in Eunice, hit another vehicle that was parked in the driveway and set the Chevrolet Trax on fire.
The Eunice Police Department responded to the incident, and when they arrived, Johnson fired at the officers. The officers returned fire, hitting Johnson, but he was able to flee the scene using the stolen vehicle, which triggered the police chase.
During that chase, Johnson crashed into another vehicle but continued driving. The chase came to an end near the intersection of Louisiana Highways 13 and 111 in Crowley, where Johnson crashed again.
Johnson was then taken into custody and was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
After being treated, Johnson was arrested and booked on the following charges:
- Attempted first-degree murder (two counts)
- Attempted second-degree murder
- Armed robbery
- Carjacking
- Simple arson
- Hit and run driving (two counts)
- Simple criminal damage to property
- Attempted aggravated kidnapping
- Aggravated flight from an officer
- Felon in possession of a firearm
LSP continues to investigate this incident.
—————————————————
Here's our original story: For PJ's Grill owner PJ Boulet, Wednesday morning started like any other busy breakfast rush.
Then came a loud crash that instantly changed everything.
"It has been a very wild start to a Wednesday morning to say the least," Boulet said.
Customers were dining inside the Crowley restaurant when Boulet heard what sounded like an explosion outside.
"I don't know, maybe a small explosion and sounded like there was just a lot of debris or something that just hit the building on the side of our building all at once and our electricity started blinking out," Boulet recalled. "Everything inside of the building, all the equipment, everything shut down."
When Boulet stepped outside, he found a chaotic scene unfolding just feet from his business.
Debris was scattered across the intersection of Odd Fellows Road and North Parkerson Avenue. A tire had been thrown into a nearby parking lot. Multiple vehicles were heavily damaged, and emergency responders quickly converged on the area.
According to Crowley Police, the crash was the culmination of a high-speed pursuit that began in Eunice following an alleged carjacking. Investigators say the suspect allegedly fired shots at officers before leading law enforcement on a chase that crossed parish lines.
Authorities say another crash occurred along Louisiana Highway 13 before the pursuit reached Crowley.
Police say the suspect then ran a red light at the intersection of Odd Fellows Road and North Parkerson Avenue at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, crashing into a white vehicle before losing control and crashing again near PJ's Grill.
Despite the severity of the collision, the driver of the white vehicle is expected to recover.
Boulet said he was told the woman was able to walk away from the wreck.
"Thank God for her guardian angel," he said. "Maybe if that happened a second further travel, he would have went straight through the middle of her vehicle and it would be a totally different circumstance."
The destruction didn't stop at the roadway.
After the crash, debris from the suspect's truck flew toward the restaurant, damaging part of the property.
"There was some debris that flew off of his truck, particularly his leaf spring," Boulet said. "It hit the side of our outdoor seating right here. Luckily only shattered one window. There was glass everywhere."
Boulet believes the outcome could have been much worse.
At that time of the morning, many breakfast customers were finishing their meals and heading back to their vehicles.
Had the truck traveled in a slightly different direction, he said, innocent bystanders could have been seriously hurt.
The incident escalated further when, according to Louisiana State Police, the suspect opened fire on officers after the crashes.
Police returned fire, striking the suspect.
State Police say one person was shot and transported to a hospital for treatment. No officers were injured.
Boulet said that by the time officers reached the truck, they were able to quickly remove the suspect and take him into custody.
"Once they got to the vehicle, the police were able to pull him out and get him on the ground fairly quickly," Boulet said. "It seemed that the driver was pretty injured."
Louisiana State Police are leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. Authorities say the investigation remains active and additional information will be released as it becomes available.
UPDATE: As of Wednesday afternoon, the roads are now open.
UPDATE: Louisiana State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened this morning during a pursuit and carjacking.
Detectives with the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations were called to the intersection of La. 13 and Odd Fellows Road in Crowley around 9 a.m. on Wednesday to investigate an officer-involved shooting, a spokesperson said.
One person was shot and taken to a hospital. No officers were injured. LSP says they'll release more information later.
But they are asking anyone with information and/or pictures or videos to share that information with LSP Detectives. You may anonymously report information through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system by visiting lsp.org and clicking on "Report Suspicious or Criminal Activity," or by calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.
Here's the original story. As of 11:30 a.m. the Crowley PD was still saying the intersection was closed.
The intersection of Oddfellows and Parkerson Avenue is closed in Crowley Wednesday morning, following a crash involving a police chase.
Crowley Police say a vehicle involved in the crash was being pursued by law enforcement agencies after an alleged carjacking in Eunice.
The incident began when the suspect in the carjacking fired shots at police; another crash happened on La. 13 in the carjacking, police say.
The victims in the Oddfellows crash sustained only minor injuries, police say.
