Texas Residents in Stolen Vehicle Arrested in LaPlace

Published 3:32 pm Friday, March 17, 2023

Two Texas residents in a stolen vehicle were arrested March 16, 2023 in LaPlace after a brief pursuit with police.

On March 16, 2023, about 1 p.m., officers were notified of a stolen vehicle in the area of Belle Terre Boulevard and Madewood Drive, traveling south toward Airline Highway in LaPlace.

Upon arrival in the area, officers attempted to make a traffic stop on the vehicle. The driver, later identified as Demaurien Taylor, 21, of North Richland Hills, Texas, refused to stop. A brief pursuit followed as Taylor fled from deputies at a high rate of speed on Airline Highway. Taylor then turned north on Jacob Drive eventually traveling off the public roadway into a pasture near the rear of Jacob Drive where he stopped the vehicle.

Taylor and a passenger, later identified as a 15-year-old female from East Canton, Texas, exited the vehicle. Ignoring officers’ commands to stop, Taylor and the juvenile ran into the swamp east of Jacob Drive. Officers set up a perimeter along Bert and Gardenia streets to canvass the area.

Utilizing a St. John Parish Fire Department drone, SWAT officers located then captured both subjects. The female was quickly apprehended near a canal.

“Due to Taylor’s location and the logistics of getting him out of the swamp, SWAT officers utilized a high buoyancy swift water rescue vest to provide floatation across the canal,” Sheriff Mike Tregre said. “This provided the safest, most expedient method for getting him out of the water, off the street and into custody.”

The juvenile was charged with fleeing resisting an officer by flight (misd). She is being held in custody.

Taylor, 21, was charged with resisting an officer by flight (misd); aggravated flight an officer by vehicle (felony); contributing to the delinquency of juveniles (felony); and illegal possession of stolen things (felony). Taylor is being held in custody in lieu of a $26,500 bond.

Video courtesy of St. John Sheriff’s Office.