Two arrested after chase from Jefferson to Orleans Parish ends in crash, state police say

State Police pursuit leads to seizure of narcotics and stolen Glock switch firearm

By Jesse Brooks

HARVEY, La. (WVUE) – A State Police pursuit that began in Jefferson Parish and continued into Orleans Parish resulted in two arrests and the recovery of narcotics, a firearm and a stolen vehicle.

On January 30, shortly after 2:00 a.m., Troop B Troopers observed a Hyundai Elantra committing multiple traffic violations. The investigation revealed the Hyundai Elantra was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Manhattan Boulevard.

When the driver refused to stop, troopers initiated a pursuit involving Troop B and Troop NOLA. The suspects exited the highway at St. Charles Street and crashed into a parked vehicle on Polymnia Street.

Driver and passenger flee crash scene

Both the driver and passenger fled the scene. The driver was quickly apprehended. Troopers observed evidence of forced entry into the Hyundai, and the steering column had been tampered with before confirming it was stolen.

The passenger was located shortly afterward while attempting to enter a family member’s parked vehicle in a nearby apartment complex. Troopers located narcotics and a firearm equipped with an extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device.

Charges filed against two suspects

Both subjects were arrested and charged.

James Walker, 18, was charged with aggravated flight from an officer, reckless operation, theft of a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, possession of Schedule II CDS (Tapentadol), and hit and run.

An unnamed minor, 15, was charged with illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile, unlawful possession of a machine gun, illegal possession of stolen things, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer, and possession of Schedule I CDS (marijuana).

State Police said the agency is committed to protecting residents and visitors from violent crime, reducing illegal drug activity and its impact on local communities, and returning stolen property to its rightful owners.

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After chase, US Navy, Coast Guard intercept 1,296 pounds of cocaine

U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 105 seized 12 bales of cocaine from a drug smuggling vessel on Aug 11, 2025, in the Eastern Pacific. (MCS2 Sheryssa Dodard/Navy)

The U.S. military stymied a suspected drug smuggling operation Aug. 11 when it chased and disabled a vessel hauling contraband in the Eastern Pacific, according to a Navy release.

A U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment, embarked aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer Sampson, seized 1,296 pounds of cocaine while conducting the maritime interdiction operation.

“Sampson, operating in a known drug trafficking corridor, identified a suspicious vessel exhibiting telltale indicators of smuggling, including excessive fuel barrels and packaged cargo visible on deck,” the release said.

The Sampson sprang into action and sent a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 49 “Scorpions,” and a rigid-hull inflatable boat, to intercept the smuggling vessel.

The vessel attempted to evade apprehension, bolting from the area while throwing contraband overboard.

U.S. military vessels fired warning shots, but the vessel did not heed them and continued its escape.

The helicopter crew, under Coast Guard direction, then fired at the vessel, disabling it completely without harming any suspects.

Two boarding teams, some from U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment 105, boarded the vessel. There, they found 12 bales of cocaine, which they promptly seized.

Military personnel placed two individuals in custody and transferred them to Sampson.

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The U.S. Coast Guard and Navy opted not to tow the smuggling vessel, as it had begun to sink and was in declining condition.

The interdiction was conducted under international law and a bilateral agreement with Ecuador, the Navy said.

Despite the massive sum of narcotics, the seizure wasn’t the Sampson’s largest haul.

On July 10, the guided-missile destroyer intercepted an estimated 3,439 pounds of cocaine 380 miles southwest of Acapulco, Mexico.

After the Aug. 11 cocaine seizure, the Sampson — which is employed under U.S. Northern Command’s maritime homeland defense authorities — returned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet.

U.S. Northern Command is leading the Trump administration’s charge to deploy additional military forces to the southern border for enhanced border security. The command established Joint Task Force-Southern Border on March 14, 2025, at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, to assume authority of the mission.

As of July 2, approximately 8,500 military personnel were attached to the joint task force, which has conducted more than 3,500 patrols, 150 of which were done in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Mexican military, according to Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell.

Man who led police on 120mph chase sentenced thanks to organised crime taskforce

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A man in a stolen vehicle who led police on a chase through Salford at speeds of over 100 miles per hour – which saw him collide with another car – has been sentenced following an investigation by our taskforce tackling organised crime in the city.

Manchester Crown Square heard how Jacob Rimmer, 21, described his own driving as ‘f***ing ridiculous’ when questioned by officers following the pursuit between Swinton and Little Hulton in August this year.

Rimmer came to the attention of covert police on the afternoon of Sunday 29 August when he was seen in a white BMW 120 twice aggressively performing U-turns – causing the tyres to screech – on Queensway in the Clifton area of Swinton.

After initially stopping when asked to do so on nearby Whitegrave Drive, Rimmer then refused to exit the vehicle on our request – falsely claiming that he was disabled – before accelerating harshly and speeding away.

Officers from our Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit (TVIU) proceeded to pursue Rimmer for the next six minutes as he went through red lights, drove on the wrong side of the road, hit speeds of 115mph on Bolton Road towards Walkden and collided with a red Vauxhall Corsa on the A6 – just off Ridyard Street – causing it to spin 180 degrees.

The vehicle was damaged and fortunately the occupant was not seriously injured.

Seconds later, Rimmer ran out of the car and was chased by police before he was detained and taken to custody.

A lock knife was found near to Rimmer’s arrest and a kitchen knife was found in the driver’s door of the car.

Prior to Rimmer’s interview, it had been established he had been driving a car on cloned plates after it had been stolen from a property in Leigh four days earlier, and that he was not insured to drive the vehicle.

He denied any knowledge that the BMW was stolen but admitted his driving was ‘f***ing ridiculous’ and he found the kitchen knife in the driver’s door but kept it because it looked ‘sick’.

Investigators from GMP Salford’s Operation Naseby – formed to tackle a spate of organised crime in the city in late 2019 – charged Rimmer with handling stolen goods, failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and possession of an offensive weapon.

Rimmer, of Greenleach Lane, Worsley, pleaded guilty to all four counts and was today (Wednesday 10 November) sentenced to 22 months imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, a rehabilitation activity requirement, unpaid work, a five month curfew and a two year driving ban.

It is the latest conviction as part of the Operation Naseby ‘disruption hub’, which has  been responsible for 240 arrests, 245 vehicle seizures, the recovery of over £500k worth of drugs, and has searched over 100 homes linked to individuals involved in crime.

Weapons recovered have included a loaded handgun, a shotgun, two loaded crossbows, a number of machetes and dozens of other knives and bladed articles.

23 people have been recalled to prison, and numerous other offenders have been convicted of a range of drug, driving, and firearms offences, including several targets from the outset of the operation.

Due to a backlog of court cases due to the pandemic, a number of further cases are currently waiting to be heard.

The anti-gang taskforce recently received an extra £95,000 of funding to continue the operation for at least the next six months.

Detective Sergeant Daniel Worthington, of GMP’s Salford district, said: “Rimmer’s level of driving that day was nothing short of appalling, and the officers involved in the pursuit remarked on how it was by sheer luck or fortune that he didn’t seriously injure or even kill somebody as a result.

“Thankfully, this case is exemplary of how we’re able to utilise our TVIU officers to pursue suspects illegally using vehicles in the city; bringing them into custody and stopping them posing a risk to other road users.

“Our ability to catch Rimmer and bring him to justice is yet another demonstration of how we’ve been able to tackle a whole range of crime as part of Operation Naseby – including the possession of weapons and the use of stolen vehicles, which are often used by serious and organised criminals.

“The results of our work have been evident over the last 18 months and we will not relent in putting more offenders before the courts.”