Vernon Parish deputy, agent injured in vehicle pursuit; suspect identified

VERNON PARISH, La. (KALB) - A New Hampshire man has been arrested following a vehicle pursuit that started in Many, Louisiana and ended in Vernon Parish on Wednesday.

James A. Machado, 24, of Meredith, NH, was arrested for one count of reckless operation, one count of aggravated flight from an officer, five counts of resisting an officer with force or violence, one count of failure to obey a red light, one count of misrepresentation during booking, one count of general speed law, one count of driving on roadways laned for traffic, one count of no driver’s license on. person, one count of careless operation, one count of failure to use turn signals, one count of traveling in roadway ditches, six counts of property damage, three counts of hit and run driving and one count of obstruction of public passages.

Bond has not been set and Machado remains in the Vernon Parish jail with detainers for the Many Police Department, Shreveport Police Department and the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office.

VPSO said the investigation into this incident is ongoing and additional charges are possible.

ORIGINAL STORY:

According to the Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office (VPSO), a suspect led authorities on a dangerous chase, injuring a deputy and an agent and damaging patrol units.

Around 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, VPSO was made aware that the Sabine Parish Sheriff’s Office (SPSO) was involved in a traffic pursuit and had attempted to stop a vehicle in Many, but the driver refused to stop and fled from deputies. The pursuit went south through Florien and into Vernon Parish.

Officers from the Anacoco Police Department, Louisiana State Police, Vernon Parish Sheriff’s Office and Vernon Parish Narcotics Task Force were working together to stop the vehicle.

VPSO said the driver aggressively tried to ram police units and drove southbound in the northbound lanes of Hwy 171 through Hornbeck and Anacoco towards Leesville.

The driver avoided spike strips at least twice before entering Vernon Parish. SPSO used pursuit intervention techniques but they were unsuccessful. They said the driver would laugh and wave when officers tried to stop him.

After crossing the Vernon Lake bridge a Sabine patrol deputy, who was attempting to get civilian drivers out of the travel lane, was rammed twice by the suspect, which caused the unit to leave the roadway and become disabled on its side in a ditch.

Suspect involved in Shreveport carjacking runs from officers in Many, Louisiana(vernon sheiff's office)

The driver was also aggressively ramming VPSO patrol units. In an effort to prevent the vehicle from entering the City Limits of Leesville, a Vernon Parish Narcotics Agent struck the vehicle head-on in her patrol unit.

Once the vehicle stopped, officers from multiple agencies surrounded the vehicle and broke the window to remove the driver.

The vehicle was reported as stolen in an armed carjacking in Shreveport. The Sabine Parish Deputy and the VPNTF Agent suffered minor injuries. Two VPSO patrol units suffered significant damage.

At the time, the suspect refused to identify himself to authorities. Following this incident, he was transported to the Vernon Parish Jail.

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