“It’s attempted murder that could have killed someone. My wife and daughter travel down that street every day. This is at 4 o’clock on a Sunday. When are the police going to be able to do their job and not be held down by the chief. Let’s not blame Covid anymore for these actions. I’m sick of hearing Covid is the reason for the rise in crime. No it’s not,” said a Baton Rouge citizen.
Baton Rouge residents are no longer holding back their frustrations when it comes to the increasing crime in the city.
After witnessing and catching on camera a road rage shooting, a BR resident reached out to Unfiltered with Kiran, but we’re choosing to protect his identity for his own safety. From here on out, he will be referred to as “John Doe.”
It was around 4pm on Sunday, July 18 on Hwy. 19 near Blount Rd. when Doe said he started seeing the makings of something terrible involving two vehicles.
“The Kia pulled in front of the suburban. It wasn’t bad, but they did pull out in front of them. Going down Hwy. 19, the suburban got in front of the Kia and kept braking and slowing down. I kept watching this in my rearview mirror and thought this is road rage so I got behind them. We got up to a red light at Blount Rd. and Hwy. 19. In between the light in Baker and there, was where all the road rage was going on,” said Doe.
Doe said it appeared the passenger in the Kia threw a bottle of water that allegedly provoked the shooting.
“When I saw them open the door to the Kia, I started recording. Then I knew it’s turning into more. I figured they would scream at each other and life would go on. Well, as soon as they started arguing, she starts shooting. She holds the gun out her window and starts shooting. The Kia takes off and the suburban driver keeps shooting and chases it. You have oncoming traffic and the way she’s shooting, those bullets are flying, that could have hit anybody. You’re never going to hit a moving target that’s 100 yards away from a moving target and you’re going to keep shooting? The only thing you’re going to hit at this point is something/someone you don’t mean to hit. We go through the light and get on the interstate. They run the light and I called 911 at this point,” said Doe.
He went on to say that the Kia’s driver got off at the Southern/Airline exit and the suburban stopped at the overpass and eventually exited off on Evangeline. Meanwhile, the entire time, Doe said he remained on the phone with 911 telling them his exact location because he kept following the suburban.
Doe said he was told to meet police at a gas station on Harding. He said 20 minutes later, an officer arrived but there were very few questions asked and he said he emailed the officer the video.
“I’m disgusted doing what I did, but I kept thinking what if this was my wife or daughter? I thought I’m going to be a good Samaritan and you (the police) did nothing?,” asked the frustrated resident.
Doe even added he understands why officers’ hands are tied. It’s why he said, “When are the police going to be able to do their job and not be held down by the chief. Let’s not blame Covid anymore for these actions. I’m sick of hearing Covid is the reason for the rise in crime. No it’s not.”
That road rage incident was not the only crime this past weekend in Baton Rouge.
Saturday, July 17 around 2pm, a woman shopping in Baton Rouge at Town Center said her passenger window was busted out while she went inside a store for 15 minutes and her things inside the vehicle were stolen. She provided those photos to Unfiltered with Kiran and is asking for the public’s help in any way.
She said she noticed about $900 worth of fraudulent charges on a company credit card that was stolen out of a big purse left in the vehicle. The card was eventually cancelled.
Later Saturday night around 6 o’clock, BRPD officers responded to the 2600 block of Sherwood St. Once there, officers learned that a man showed up at a party saying he had been shot in his lower right side of his back. The victim said he was robbed of jewelry at Sherman and Sherwood streets and shot once.
About four hours later around 10:20pm, there was a brutal beating on South Sherwood Forest. When the officer arrived on scene, they say the suspect, “repeatedly stomping on the head and face of the defenseless victim.” The officer intervened and ended up getting into a fight himself with the suspect and was forced to use his taser. The victim remains in the hospital now with life-threatening injuries.
The family of the victim told Unfiltered with Kiran that the victim “may possibly have to have a tube (ventilator) put in to help her breathe because her breathing isn’t good and she has a big pocket of blood on her brain that they can’t do anything with. It has to try to fix itself, and she has multiple face fractures so she’s gonna be under medical care for a long time. Even if she pulls through this, she’s gonna be going through a lot more therapy and stuff to fix everything.”
July 18 around 1:30 am, there were shots fired on the Baton Rouge levee and possibly in the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino’s parking garage. Just before officers arrived to the casino though, a 15-yr-old gunshot victim had just been dropped off to a local hospital in connection to this shooting. The teen had non-life threatening injuries. Officers found multiple shell casings of different size calibers on River Rd., on the levee and in the parking garage. Cars that were parked at the USS Kid parking lot were also shot.
About half an hour later, officers went out to the 3300 block of Plank Rd. for five shots fired picked up by the city’s shot spotter. They found a man shot several times inside a vehicle. The victim was transported for treatment.
Early Sunday morning around 7:30, when a BRPD officer responded to an apartment complex on Greenwell Springs Rd., “the victim ran out of the door covered in blood stating that ‘he’s trying to kill me’.” That victim had been stabbed at least once in the neck. When the officer told the suspect to come out, he allegedly finished off the bottle of vodka that was in his hand and walked back into the home at which time the officer tased the man and arrested him. The knife most likely used in the stabbing was still in his possession.
According to the latest statistics, there have been 70 homicides within the city limits of Baton Rouge. There have been a total of 170 non-fatal shootings in which 204 people were shot. That means since Jan. 1, 2021, at least 204 people have shot and survived their injuries. Plus, an additional 70 people have died and these numbers are only for within Baton Rouge, not the entire Parish of East Baton Rouge.
Unfiltered with Kiran would reach out to Baton Rouge Police for a response, but they have repeatedly said they will not work with Unfiltered with Kiran. They’ve also said they will not add Unfiltered with Kiran to their media release list because the dept. “has the right to choose what media they want to use to disseminate news.”
“The Baton Rouge Police Department reserve the right to interview with reporters/interviewees who the department deem as impartial to incidents that may occur within the department or that is of importance to the community and but not limited to any individuals safety and knowledge,” said BRPD per an email from a spokesperson.
As always, anyone with any information on any mentioned crimes or any crime is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 344-STOP (7867).
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