WEST BATON ROUGE, La. —- A 23-yr-old has been arrested and charged with two counts of manslaughter and several other charges. His bond has now been set at $950,000.
Deandre Dwayne Bessye, of Baton Rouge, was arrested after the deadly BRPD helicopter crash that killed two officers, Sgt. David Poirrier, 47, and Cpl. Scotty Canazaro, 38.
On Sunday March 26, around 2:27 am, Baton Rouge Police Department was in pursuit of a 2014 Ford Mustang that had crossed into West Baton Rouge Parish on I-10.
The driver was identified as Deandre Dwayne Bessye and exited I-10 onto LA 415 northbound. Bessye continued fleeing BRPD with reported speeds at or near 135 MPH.
Air One was assisting in the vehicle pursuit trying to follow the mustang. Around 2:35 am, the pursuit was terminated near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 190 and Bueche Road by BRPD.
West Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office was not in pursuit of this vehicle, but was responding to the area at the time the pursuit was terminated by BRPD.
Approximately 3:14 am, West Baton Rouge S.O. was dispatched to a home on Poydras Bayou Dr. in reference to a reported abandoned vehicle. The vehicle was later confirmed to be the 2014 Ford Mustang that had fled BRPD earlier that night.
WBRSO says Bessye contacted the property owner and asked if he could get a ride to a nearby gas station because his car ran out of gas. After getting dropped off by the property owner, WBRSO said Bessye phoned a friend in Baton Rouge who picked him up and took him to his home in Baton Rouge.
Nearly eight hours after the wreckage, Sgt. Poirrier’s father pinged his phone. When the phone showed up in a cane field in West Baton Rouge Parish, the dad went to the location but could not get to the crash site.
That’s when Sgt. Poirrier’s dad called WBRSO around 10:48 am requesting deputies to respond between North Winterville Road and Bueche Road.
That’s when deputies found a Baton Rouge Police Department helicopter that had crashed.
Both officers onboard the helicopter died from their injuries.
After deputies discovered the crash and fatalities, warrants were drawn up for Bessye’s arrest.
Bessye was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Task Force, and later transported and booked into the West Baton Rouge Parish Detention Center.
Bessye has been charged with: two counts of felony manslaughter, one count of aggravated flight from an officer (also a felony) and one count of felony aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce.
Upon Bessye’s release from West Baton Rouge, he will be booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison by BRPD on the following charges: aggravated flight from an officer and hit and run.
This is still an active and ongoing investigation. WBRSO is in communication with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board), who has an investigator en-route to the crash location.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
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RIP. Death by dindu.
What an absurd concept.
But, about what I’ve come to expect from worshipers of all things gov’t, ESPECIALLY law enforcement
What?
charging the bad guy for these deaths is absurd
Some think that the perp should get a medal. Those are tinfoil covered anarchist wannabe bully cowards. Drink up everyone.
Cheers! Drinking a cold one right now!
No one from BRPD realized the helicopter had crashed until 8 hours later? WTF?
One has to be pretty stupid to decide to run from the cops in the first place. But to deploy a helicopter to chase someone for a traffic violation seems unnecessary and ill-advised…just too dangerous. I don’t think the manslaughter charge is appropriate either. The chase had been called off when the chopper crashed and it sounds like the cause was basic pilot error…nothing to do with the traffic violator. RIP to the officers, it’s def a tough pill to swallow.
too much common sense , can’t have any of THAT here