KATC has obtained surveillance video of an SUV driving through a crowd in the final hours of Festival International, in which one person was treated for minor injuries.
Lafayette police are still looking for the driver of that vehicle.
It’s the first video we’ve seen even though Lafayette police having several mobile surveillance units downtown for festival.
KATC obtained this video from a private business along Taylor Street as the SUV drove down a closed and crowded street in the final hours of festival international.
On Sunday evening KATC reporters Josh Meny and Mike Carter were sitting on a curb on Taylor Street as the SUV sped down the street honking it’s horn and nearly hitting several pedestrians.
Mike Carter’s cell phone video shows the shocked crowd right after the incident.
Although a Lafayette Police Homeland Security Mobile Surveillance Unit was stationed at the corner of Taylor and East Congress, Lafayette police say they have no video of the crash.
"The trailer got there before festival started and was there through all of festival weekend and still is there today,” said Taylor Street resident David Maynor
Lafayette police spent about $730,000 dollars over the past few years on its citywide camera system which includes the mobile surveillance units.
We called Lafayette police Tuesday to find out about that system’s capabilities, but officials could only tell us they have no video of the incident.
A traffic camera was positioned near the same intersection, but while we were getting video crews came and removed the camera.
"We put that up several years ago to help monitor the crowd at Festival International,” said a Public Works official.
The official said it was unlikely that the camera picked up the crash.
"These cameras, they normally just set them up to shoot in one direction. They can patrol, but it needs a timer. So, it’s on a timer when it moves to a certain place. So, it’d be very unlikely that they got it,” said the official.
