BATON ROUGE — A family is shattered after a 48-year-old grandmother, La’Tasha Thomas, was tragically killed in front of her eight-year-old grandson on January 19, 2025. A 14-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with her death, following a series of events that began with a stolen rental car.
The family shared La’Tasha Thomas’ funeral arrangements with UWK. Her Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. at Hall’s Celebration Center (9348 Scenic Highway, Baton Rouge).
A Celebration Turns Tragic
The day started with joy and anticipation as Thomas prepared to celebrate her daughter Beyonce’s birthday with a family brunch. Her daughter, Kahadijah Woods, arrived at their home and stepped inside briefly. At that moment, a group of teenagers allegedly stole Woods’ rental car from the driveway.
“They literally stole it within seconds,” Beyonce’ said, recalling the shock and disbelief.
The theft was immediately reported to police. As they waited for police to get there, her mom left with her eight-year-old son, O’mari, and went to the store. The two were very close.
“She always had my son with her, like always,” Beyonce’ Thomas told UWK. “They were always together. If you see her, you see him,” Thomas said.
Though the day had gotten off to a rough start, the plans to go to brunch were still on.
“Everything just happened so fast,” Kahadijah said. “Even after the car was stolen, we were still trying to go celebrate and enjoy the day.”
A short time later, Beyonce’ and her sister began to hear sirens and grew concerned.
“In the process of waiting for the police, we just kept hearing sirens. My sister kept calling her (mom) and she wouldn’t pick up. I called her and texted her a few times. It’s not normal for her not to respond to either one of us,” Woods said.
A mother’s intuition: “My nerves were shot”
Beyonce’ grew worried when her mother didn’t answer her calls.
“For some strange reason, she took my son with her that day. I kept calling, but she wouldn’t answer. My nerves were shot,” she said.
Since both of the vehicles were gone, Beyonce’ flagged down a generous stranger and asked for a ride, unaware of where she was actually going.
As they turned onto Plank Road, she saw multiple police cars and ambulances. “Go this way!” she frantically said to the kind stranger.
Rushing to the area, Beyonce’ arrived to find police and ambulances surrounding her car and ran to the scene.
“I heard my baby screaming, ‘Mom, Mom! They killed Momo. They killed Momo’,” she said. “I just lost it.”
Beyonce’ said she initially held out hope that her mother had been taken to the hospital. Watching from the sides, she wasn’t allowed to be with her son as police processed the scene.
“I heard everything on the phone. I was still at the house,” Kahadijah said. “So over the phone, we were just trying to be optimistic and hold it all together.”
The police would later break the news that their mother had, indeed, died on the scene. Her body was still in the car.
DONATE: A Gofundme to support the family.
The confrontation | “My nephew had my mother’s blood all over him”
On the way to the store, Thomas allegedly recognized the stolen vehicle on Plank Road and found herself behind it. According to her daughters, she never got the chance to confront the occupants.
The family believes the alleged assailants recognized Thomas and acted in defense.
“They saw the car and by them knowing what kind of car they had just stolen, they took her life,” Beyonce’ said through tears. “For a tragedy like this to happen, and for him to have no type of heart, just to kill her in front of my son.”
Her sister is still in disbelief.
“My nephew had my mother’s blood all over him,” Kahadijah recalled, her voice breaking.
The suspects, allegedly a group of teenagers in ski masks, stopped the car. One of them, identified as a 14-year-old, is said to have exited the vehicle and fatally shot Thomas through the glass.
“He told me, those were her last words before she closed her eyes in front of him. ‘He shot me!’ He took his grandmother’s life in front of him,” she sobbed. “My son is only eight-years-old.”
According to her son, he saw four males in the car. Their faces were covered.
“He said one was chubby, one was skinny, but he couldn’t identify anyone because they all had on ski masks,” she said.
A Family Devastated
Thomas was a beloved matriarch who shared a special bond with her grandchildren, especially her grandson, O’Mari.
For Kahadijah, the loss is unimaginable but her real concern is her sister, Beyonce’.
“She was everything to my sister. I have a family – kids and my fiancé. My sister was a single mom, and our mom was all she had,” Kahadijah said.
A 14-Year-Old Arrested
According to police, the 14-year-old suspect’s mother turned him in to the police later that day. He was charged with second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. The teenager’s name has not been released due to his juvenile status.
Beyonce expressed mixed emotions about the mother’s actions. While they are appreciative on her actions, many questions still remain.
“I’m grateful she turned him in, but why did it have to come to this? Why did my mom have to lose her life?”
MORE FROM UWK: Mother turns in 14-year-old son for allegedly shooting & killing a woman
Seeking Justice
Beyonce’ and her family now face a lifetime of grief and unanswered questions.
“Why did this happen? Why did I have to lose my mom the day before my birthday?” Beyonce’ cried. “She didn’t deserve this. My son didn’t deserve to witness this.”
Thomas’ family is calling for more action. They are hoping others will do as the mother of the 14-year-old has done – say something.
DONATE: A Gofundme to support the family.
A Call for Accountability
As the family prepares to bury La’Tasha Thomas, they are left grappling with the senseless violence that changed their lives forever.
“I have to live the rest of my life with this pain,” Beyonce’ said. “She was my mother, my son’s Momo, and she was taken from us too soon.”
According to a Gofundme set up for the family, a funeral for Thomas is set for Saturday, February 8th.
UWK reached out to Baton Rouge Police for further details and received the following message:
“We are unable to provide specific details relative to this investigation. This is still an active/on-going investigation.”
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3 Responses
False story, not what happened and they didn’t have on ski masks. The cameras caught a completely different thing and she confronted them
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