Houma, Louisiana - On November 3, 2023, just before 5:00 a.m., the Houma Police Department (HPD) requested assistance from the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Houma Field Office to look into a death that occurred while a person was in custody.
Initial findings indicate that an HPD officer pulled over a vehicle on Louisiana Highway 3040 at Grinage Street due to an equipment violation. During the traffic stop, the driver reportedly resisted arrest and attempted to escape on foot. In response, the HPD officer used a Taser on the driver and successfully apprehended them. However, while seated in the back of an HPD patrol car, officers noticed the driver trying to hide several bags of suspected drugs in their mouth.
As a result, they were taken out of the patrol car but quickly became unresponsive. HPD officers immediately initiated life-saving measures and called for paramedics who transported the driver to a nearby hospital where they later passed away.
Louisiana State Police detectives are actively investigating this incident and will provide further updates as soon as they become available.
Authorities are asking that anyone with any information or evidence pertaining to this case contact LSP Investigators at 985-876-8834, by following this link to report information through the Louisiana State Police online reporting system, or by calling the LSP Fusion Center Hotline at 1-800-434-8007.