A suspect who fled into Oakwood Center mall in Terrytown after leading Jefferson Parish deputies on a chase in a stolen vehicle was found hiding in a store’s rack of clothing following a two-hour search of the shopping center Wednesday evening, authorities said.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators have not identified the suspect, who was a juvenile, or his two alleged accomplices, who were arrested after they bailed out of the stolen vehicle in front of the mall, 197 West Bank Expressway, said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the department.
The other two suspects, both male, included another juvenile and one adult, Veal said.
The pursuit began about 4 p.m. when deputies spotted the stolen vehicle 4 p.m. near the intersection of Manhattan and Gretna boulevards in Harvey, Veal said. The driver of the vehicle refused to stop, leading deputies on a pursuit the continued over to the mall.
The car crashed into some bushes outside of a store at the shopping center, Veal said. Two of the suspects were immediately apprehended after they jumped out of the vehicle.
But the third made it into the mall, Veal said. The Sheriff’s Office locked down the facility and evacuated those inside. Authorities concentrated their search for the suspect around the food court area, Veal said.
Deputies began searching stores and eventually found the juvenile hiding in a rack of clothing about 6:20 p.m., though Veal did not identify the name of the store.
The stolen vehicle was towed the Sheriff’s Office investigations bureau to be searched. No other information was immediately available.