Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto is defending his deputies for their pursuit of a suspect that ended in a deadly crash in New Orleans.
The sheriff Friday told WWL's Dave Cohen that it was not a simple shoplifting case, but felony theft. And Lopinto said the suspect ought to face even more serious charges.
"Charges should be upgraded to second degree murder, and not manslaughter," said Lopinto. "They were involved in a felony, an enumerated felony, and you hold them responsible for what it is."
Ultimately, charges will be determined by the Orleans District Attorney's Office.
Meanwhile, Lopinto said he is not going to second-guess his deputies decision to pursue the suspect.
"I'm not going to let my deputies be blamed for other people's actions," Lopinto said. "We keep calling them shoplifters, but that is not the case at all. This is actually a second degree robbery."
Lopinto says his deputies had actually given up the pursuit before the deadly crash at I-610 and St. Bernard Ave.
"You can't even see the vehicle in the dash cam when my supervisor got on the radio and ordered them to close it (the pursuit) off," Lopinto said. "The car was already out of sight."
Lopinto said the suspect, Joneaka Smooth, chose to "continue driving like an idiot," and it ended in the crash that killed 17-year-olds Semaj Morris and Gisselle Smith.
