METAIRIE, La. — A deputy pursuing a car that the sheriff’s office said was speeding and had struck multiple JPSO vehicles fired more than one shot before the vehicle crashed into a curb and a 31-year-old Metairie woman was arrested Sunday night.
The sheriff’s office said that the car was full of children and that no one inside of the vehicle was hit by gunfire. According to the sheriff’s office, once the vehicle crashed and deputies had arrested the driver, they discovered there were 4 children inside, none of whom was wearing a seatbelt. The sheriff’s office did not provide ages on the children, who were taken to the hospital as a precaution.
The driver of the car that was involved in the pursuit, was identified by the sheriff's office as Desiree Mallery of Metairie. The sheriff's office has not said if she is related to any of the children who were in the vehicle.
The incident, which occurred around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, started in the 3400 block of Houma Blvd. and ended when the vehicle crashed near the intersection of Veterans Blvd. and Cleary Avenue, approximately two miles away.
According to the sheriff’s office, a deputy tried to make a traffic stop on the vehicle that was speeding but the driver refused to stop. A chase began during which the vehicle struck more than one JPSO vehicle and a deputy fired his weapon multiple times.
Mallery was arrested and later transported to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center for booking. She will be facing multiple counts, including: operating a vehicle while intoxicated, aggravated obstruction of a roadway, aggravated criminal damage, resisting an officer, driving while under suspension, cruelty to a juvenile and multiple traffic violations.
There was no information given as to the identity of the driver and if she was related to the children in the car. WWL-TV will update this story as more information becomes available.