BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — The crash that closed eastbound I-10 between Lafayette and Baton Rouge Monday afternoon was intentionally caused by a state trooper, officials said.

The driver was being pursued after failing to pull over for a traffic stop by Baton Rouge Police, according to a news release from the Louisiana State Police.

According to the release, Troopers were notified at approximately 12:15 p.m. Monday of a vehicle pursuit involving a stolen 2017 Chevrolet Express van and officers from the Baton Rouge Police Department. Troopers in the area responded to assist with the ongoing pursuit, and one Trooper became the lead unit.

“Based on prior crashes that occurred and the dangerous driving behavior of the suspect, the Trooper determined that the fleeing vehicle posed an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to the public and pursuing officers,” the release read. “To mitigate this threat, the Trooper utilized a pursuit termination technique, making intentional contact with the van as it traveled eastbound on Interstate 10. The van lost control and began to rotate.”

The driver, a 41-year-old male, was ejected from the vehicle and was initially unresponsive, authorities said. He was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, and a female passenger in the vehicle suffered minor injuries.

No law enforcement officers were injured during the incidentthe release said.

Louisiana State Police will be charging the driver of the stolen Chevrolet with aggravated flight from an officer, and Baton Rouge Police will bring charges related to the initial reason for the traffic stop and pursuit.

This remains an active investigation. No further information is available at this time.

Anyone with information and/or pictures and video is urged to share that information with LSP Detectives. Citizens can anonymously report information through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system by visiting File a Report, or calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.

Latest news