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Trooper shoots wrong-way driver on Bourbon Street

Witnesses tell WWL-TV that state police attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver kept going

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana State Police say a trooper shot and wounded a man driving the wrong way on Bourbon Street who refused to stop.

A statement released late Thursday said troopers helping close traffic lanes on Bourbon Street saw a car driving toward pedestrians around 7 p.m. Police say the driver had made an illegal turn, and failed to comply with attempts to stop the car. 

Surveillance video (below) from a business shows a vehicle going the wrong way down the iconic street with a couple of what appear to be state troopers in pursuit on foot. A second angle appears to show the moments before and after a trooper fired into the vehicle. 

Witnesses tell WWL-TV that the man was driving erratically and troopers tried to stop the car near Iberville and Bourbon streets, but the driver did not stop.

The driver was shot once. New Orleans Emergency Medical Services spokesman Jonathan Fourcade says the driver was hospitalized with an abdomen wound. His exact condition is unclear, but police say he's stable.

Officials haven't released the identity of the driver. The trooper wasn't injured.

According to The New Orleans Advocate , the incident marks at least the third shooting on the famed New Orleans' street since February.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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