LAPLACE — One man was killed and two others are facing charges following a brazen armed robbery in Metairie that spilled into LaPlace Wednesday evening and turned into a high-speed pursuit.

According to St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre, the man killed is Ronald Walker, 53, of Kenner.

Tregre said Walker was pronounced dead Wednesday night at the hospital, the result of injuries sustained during a wreck on Interstate 10 and a jump off the span’s elevated portion.

“I really believe in this case that prayers and training worked, and not necessarily in that order,” Tregre said. “It was an awesome job all the way around. I can tell you right now, had they had a gun in that car, there would have been a shootout. No doubt. They were running for freedom. There was nothing that was going to stop them.”

The day’s eventful police action began when Jeff’s Haberdashery on Severn Avenue in Metairie was robbed at approximately 10 a.m. Wednesday by at least two men using a military-style rifle.

It was reported that a customer and two employees were forced to the ground while the store’s high-end clothes and other items were stolen. As much as $60,000 in merchandise was taken.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigation created a lead on one of the suspects, who had a LaPlace address.

A member of the St. John Sheriff’s Office, who is assigned to the U.S. Marshals Task Force, began surveilling the LaPlace address in an unmarked unit at approximately 5:30 p.m., identifying a black Infiniti SUV in the driveway.

“While conducting surveillance, three individuals got out of the car and went into the house,” Tregre said. “My officer then called for additional unmarked units to do surveillance.”

When additional units responded, the three subjects were observed getting back into the SUV and driving away.

The St. John task force officer, along with several detectives, initiated a traffic stop on the SUV at 6:34 p.m. at the intersection of Country Club Drive and St. Andrews Boulevard.

“The driver pulled over and was on his cell phone,” Tregre said. “The officers approached the vehicle and he accelerated and almost hit two officers.”

Units continued pursuit of the SUV westbound on St. Andrews Boulevard all the way to the intersection with Belle Terre Boulevard.

The suspect vehicle sideswiped one car and, when arriving at Belle Terre Boulevard, turned left toward Airline Highway before making a hard right at the Corner Store gas station near Foxwood Subdivision.

The SUV hit a curb as officers tried to box in the vehicle, sustaining a flat tire in the process before getting into the wrong, oncoming lane of traffic on Belle Terre Boulevard and heading north toward Interstate 10.

“He is bucking traffic with cars coming toward him,” Tregre said. “At some point, he crossed to the other side and made it to I-10 eastbound. When he got to I-10 and U.S. 51, the traffic was backed up due to a traffic accident that happened earlier. So he had really nowhere to go. He could have got off at I-10 and 51, but we had units there waiting for him.”

The SUV continued eastbound on I-10, reaching the elevated portion using the shoulder and sideswiping more cars “going over 100 miles per hour.”

The SUV eventually crashed into the rear of an 18-wheeler, and all three subjects got out of the car and jumped over the guardrail.

“Two of them take off running,” Tregre said. “We caught those two. The other was still there. Apparently, he had massive internal injuries. He was still alive and he was still resisting. Even though he was fighting us, we managed to restrain him, put him in a unit and rush him to the hospital. He died at Ochsner hospital.”

Tregre said Jefferson Parish officers joined other units in performing a search of the LaPlace address, where the pursuit was initiated, recovering evidence linking the suspects to the robbery.

Authorities have not yet released the names of the two men arrested.

“I hope this sends a message to anybody who is thinking about committing these types of crimes: You are going to get caught,” Tregre said. “The technology is too good. Agencies working together are at an all time high. The training is better than it has ever been before and is only getting better.”