JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Three teenagers are in jail after leading Jefferson Parish deputies on a high-speed chase on the Westbank.
Wrecked vehicles littered the intersection of Lapalco and Barataria boulevards over the lunch hour on Tuesday.
The JPSO was chasing a black sedan when it crashed, damaging three other vehicles.
“The car was stolen out of New Orleans,” Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto said. “The license plate was a stolen plate from a stolen car from Jefferson Parish.”
Sheriff Lopinto said three young people, ages 15, 16, and 17 were in the stolen car.
The pursuit started on the Westbank Expressway in Harvey where a license plate reader alerted deputies to the vehicle.
A motorcycle officer was injured as he was attempting to clear traffic at the intersection of Westwood Drive and the expressway.
“He was on his motorcycle,” Lopinto said. “His leg was swiped by the car passing and he ended up falling off the motorcycle. I think he’s got minor injuries. He’s in the hospital now, also.”
The stolen car also hit two vehicles near the Westbank expressway.
Deputies arrested the teenagers after the stolen car hit the three vehicles on Lapalco.
Amanda Pittman said her daughter was driving with two children in the car – including a 10-month-old when the teenagers ran into her Honda SUV.
“It looks like it’s totaled,” Pittman said. ‘Granddaughter and grandson are in the hospital.”
The sheriff said all the injuries were minor.
Vincent Valdez and Jennifer Hooks from Dallas were on their way to take an airboat tour when their rental car was hit.
“All we heard was screeching and heard a couple of screams and then bam, bam and they hit the lady beside us so hard, she did a complete 360,” Valdez said. “As we were trying to pull away, she hit us.”
Hooks admitted that the crash put a damper on their trip to New Orleans.
“We rescheduled the airboat ride, so we’ll go tomorrow,” she said. “At least we came out uninjured. The car, it’s just a material object. It can be replaced.”
This is the second day in a row the JPSO was involved in a police pursuit that ended in a crash.
Monday’s chase started in Harvey and ended near South Galvez and Poydras streets in New Orleans.
“We’re going to put them in jail,” Lopinto said. “We’re going to deal with it regularly, but unfortunately these young kids, they don’t understand what the consequences are of their actions. We’re not going to let them slide here. We’re going to make sure we go after them.”
According to the sheriff, the three suspects received minor injuries in the crash.
He said two of the teenagers are from Jefferson Parish and the third is from New Orleans.
They now face a long list of charges.