BOGALUSA, La. — Three Mississippians accused of robbing a Bogalusa convenience store and fatally shooting an employee were arrested Saturday after a police chase that ended in Montgomery County, Alabama.
Lance Rouse, Levi Lee and Melisa Smith were arrested and booked for armed robbery and first degree murder. They are being held in Montgomery County but will be extradited to Washington Parish to stand trial.
Around 4 a.m. Friday morning, police responded to a call at the JZ Quick Shop on Highway 21 outside of Bogalusa.
Videos from the incident show the suspects pulling into the convenience store and one man threatening an employee with a shotgun before shooting him at point-blank range.
The suspects then walked past the employee, went in the business and took cash and merchandise from the business and drove away, videos show.
The suspects fled the scene, starting a more than 24-hour hunt that led from Louisiana through Mississippi to Alabama, where law enforcement officers had to use road spikes to stop the fleeing vehicle.
The employee was taken to University Medical Center in New Orleans and was in critical condition. The Washington Parish Sheriff's Office said the employee died from his injuries Jan. 2.