A police chase followed by a shootout turned Easter morning into a deadly scene Sunday morning near Goodbee, LA, in western St. Tammany Parish.
Authorities said their pursuit of 24-year-old Joseph Walden Johnson Jr. ended after his car crashed into a ditch on Railroad Avenue between La. 1077 and U.S. 190.
At that point Johnson and pursuing St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office deputies exchanged gunfire. Johnson was killed and 36-year-old Deputy Justin Nail was wounded, the Advocate reports.
The pursuit started just before 5 a.m. when deputies attempted to pull Johnson over because they believed he was a suspect in some vehicle burglaries. Johnson refused to stop and fled in his vehicle before the crash and exchange of gunfire.
Nail — a member of the Third District Criminal Division — was taken to a local hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was out of surgery a few hours later and was listed in stable condition, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
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