A St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office deputy suffered minor injuries today when a suspect hit him with his vehicle, authorities say.
According to the sheriff's office, a deputy patrolling LA 36 near Covington observed a white Dodge with no license plate. When he attempted to pull the driver of the Dodge over, the driver refused to stop.
With STPSO and Covington police now in pursuit, a sheriff's office deputy deployed a spike strip on I-12 near the LA 21 exit. The driver of the Dodge swerved to avoid the spikes, striking the deputy with the passenger side of the car.
The deputy was taken to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
After the Dodge exited I-12 at LA 1077, cops found the vehicle at a nearby Rouses. Witnesses told law officers the driver entered the store, and when 44-year-old Kody McElveen came out, the sheriff's office says he saw the deputies waiting for him and ran. Deputies caught him in the parking lot.
McElveen faces charges of attempted murder of a police officer, aggravated assault with a motor vehicle upon a peace officer, illegal possession of a firearm, aggravated flight from an officer, reckless operation, possession of marijuana, and six counts of failure to stop or yield.
"This is an example of how dangerous our deputies’ jobs are," said Sheriff Randy Smith. "I am thankful this deputy sustained only minor injuries. It could have been much worse."
