WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• Police release photos of car burglars

  May 21, 2013 4:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police asked for help identifying several people they said broke into a bait car in Baton Rouge which had hidden cameras inside. Detectives said the bait car was hit on two separate days. Three people were caught on camera breaking into the car on May 7... more »

• Raceland woman dies after car crash

  May 21, 2013 11:40 AM

  GRAY, La. - State police say a 24-year-old Raceland woman has died from injuries she suffered in a head-on collision April 27 with a driver troopers allege was drunk. Jeneva Billiot died over the weekend at University Hospital in New Orleans, where she was taken after the crash. Troopers say... more »

• More people talking about 'outdated' car seat law Play Video

  May 20, 2013 10:17 PM

  GONZALES- More experts suggest a state law needs to be changed, so drivers have a clearer understanding of the proper way young children should be restrained in car seats. A WBRZ News 2 Investigation found the law is outdated. Doctors recommend babies remain rear facing until they are two-years-old.... more »

• Lawmakers to look at conflicting law after News 2 report Play Video

  May 14, 2013 9:22 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana lawmakers plan to take a look at resolving the frontwards/backwards child seat requirements. State law tells parents to face kids a year and older forward in their car seats. But a American Academy of Pediatrics 2011 study showed children under two are 75 percent... more »

• State law not matching-up with doctors' orders Play Video

  May 13, 2013 10:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's youngest riders could be in jeopardy in a car crash if parents follow state law. Baton Rouge resident Angela Warren learned about the confusion during her daughter's one-year checkup at her pediatrician. "She said 'ohh you need to make sure that her car seat... more »

• Judge orders suspended sentence for convicted killer

  May 3, 2013 10:40 AM

  GONZALES - A judge suspended a two-year sentence today for Stanley White, who pleaded guilty to negligent homicide in 1995 after a car wreck but never served his prison sentence. The judge said the state was negligent for not imposing the sentence in a timely fashion and that two... more »

• Deadly car crash closes busy road

  April 23, 2013 1:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Florida Boulevard is back open after a deadly wreck this afternoon in Baton Rouge. Police said a car crashed into a pole in the 12400 block of Florida at Longbow. The wreck closed Florida in both directions. Traffic was diverted onto surface roads while police... more »

• Downsville man dies in wreck

  April 8, 2013 9:14 AM

  RUSTON- State police say a Downsville man died from injuries suffered in a one-vehicle wreck. The accident happened Sunday morning on La. Highway 3072 at Highway 33 north of Ruston. Troopers say a 2012 Mack tractor trailer, driven by 61-year-old Lester Jordan, was westbound on Highway 3072 when it crossed... more »

• Car towed with body inside

  April 2, 2013 7:48 PM

  RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA- A North Carolina State Trooper is on administrative leave after he ordered a towing company to haul off a car after a wreck and didn't realize the body of the driver was inside. Carolyn Watkins was reported missing by her son after she failed to show up... more »

• EPA taking aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas

  March 29, 2013 9:00 AM

  WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is proposing a reduction in sulfur in gasoline and tightened emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017. The new rule would come with costs as well as rewards. The cost at the pump for cleaner air across the country could be less than a... more »

• Car on roof

  March 25, 2013 7:38 PM

  GLENDALE, California- A weekend drive ended with a man driving a car on top of his neighbor's roof in Southern California. Police say the driver lost control on a driveway in an area where houses are arrayed on steep hillside. The car ended up on the roof of the next... more »

• Employees waiting to be paid after car lot closes Play Video

  March 15, 2013 10:40 AM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - Employees at a used car lot in Denham Springs are still waiting to be paid after the lot closed earlier this week. Red Barn Motors at the corner of Pete's Highway and Hwy 16 locked its doors today. Employees said they received paychecks for a past... more »

• Police find car, bodies of 3 missing since Jan 7

  January 30, 2013 3:35 PM

  TALLULAH - Louisiana State Police say the bodies of two men and a woman missing since Jan. 7 have been found in the Tensas River west of Tallulah. Police spokeswoman Julie Lewis says 49-year-old Brady Brown and 52-year-old Ella Williams, both of Beaumont, Texas, and Brown's 68-year-old uncle, Eddie Cobb... more »

• Investigators searching for clues in recovered car

  January 23, 2013 12:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police said they are still investigating a car they believe was used in a pharmacy robbery which turned into a hostage standoff and deadly police shooting this week. Col. Richey Johnson said authorities sent the car believed to have been the getaway vehicle in Monday night's... more »

• Cars wreck, catch fire in Baton Rouge Play Video

  January 18, 2013 11:24 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Emergency responders had to cut an elderly woman from her SUV after a wreck on Greenwell Springs Road this morning. It happened at the intersection of Greenwell Springs and Platt Drive. Surveillance video showed the woman's vehicle turning left at the intersection, then getting hit in... more »

• One critically injured in afternoon wreck

  January 17, 2013 2:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE - One person was critically injured in a multi-car pileup this afternoon in Baton Rouge, according to authorities. It happened at Coursey and American Way around 1:30 p.m. Witnesses said a handful of vehicles were involved, and one car had flipped onto its side. EMS said... more »

• Startup auto company moving into former GM plant

  January 3, 2013 12:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A startup car company called Elio Motors is moving into the former General Motors plant in Shreveport, where it would build three-wheeled, low-price vehicles. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Thursday that Elio is buying part of the plant to assemble its unusual-looking car. The company says the two-seat... more »

• Woman pulled from fiery wreck

  January 2, 2013 6:17 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - Several law enforcement officers are being credited with saving a woman's life after pulling her from a burning wreck this morning in Livingston Parish. State Police said the wreck happened on Magnolia Bridge Road around 7 a.m. They said the woman passed out behind the wheel... more »

• Trooper saves woman from fiery wreck

  January 2, 2013 5:42 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - A state trooper saved an unconscious woman from the burning wreckage of her car earlier this morning in Livingston Parish. State Police said the woman's car ran up under an 18-wheeler on Magnolia Bridge Road and caught fire around 7 a.m. today. They said the woman... more »

• UPDATE: Divers believe they've found submerged car

  December 10, 2012 4:53 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Rescue divers believe they've found a vehicle which drove off the highway and into a canal near the Mall of Louisiana. News 2 crews on the scene say the divers are attaching chains to the vehicle in order to pull it out. Sheriff's deputies said... more »

• Rescuers searching for submerged car near mall

  December 10, 2012 2:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Rescue units responded to reports that a car drove off a frontage road between the Mall of Louisiana and I-10 East and was submerged in water. East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office spokesperson Casey Hicks said a witness called firefighters about the wreck around 1:35 p.m. They... more »

• Deputies searching for missing shooting victim

  December 5, 2012 10:38 AM

  BELLE ROSE - Sheriff's deputies asked for the public's help today finding an alleged shooting victim in Assumption Parish. Sheriff Mike Waguespack said Tony Rodriguez Jr., 23, is missing after he was possibly shot during a robbery yesterday. The sheriff said deputies were called by someone who said... more »

• Cops: Mass. bargain hunter took home TV, left tot

  November 23, 2012 10:42 AM

  SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Police say a Massachusetts man left his girlfriend's 2-year-old son in a car while he went shopping for Black Friday bargains, then went home with his new 51-inch flat screen television and left the toddler behind. Police, alerted by store security, found the boy asleep in the... more »

• Man found dead inside car in NO neighborhood

  November 22, 2012 2:32 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans' homicide detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a 25-year-old man, whose body was found in the driver's seat of a car. Police say the victim, whose name has not been released, was discovered just before 9 a.m. Thursday. Authorities say he had been shot... more »

• Phony money tossed from car window in chase

  November 21, 2012 2:12 PM

  SHREVEPORT- Five suspects were arrested in Shreveport in a counterfeit money sting that ended after a chase that included phony money being tossed out of car windows. State police had tipped agents with the Caddo-Shreveport Narcotics Unit about word of a possible counterfeit money transaction Tuesday at a Shreveport mall.... more »

• SUV careens into house; driver arrested

  November 8, 2012 8:49 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A man is in custody after deputies said he drove his vehicle into a house. East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's deputies responded to Tracy Avenue around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. WBRZ News2 crews on the scene reported seeing an SUV smashed into the side of a house.... more »

• Classmates remember 17-year-old killed in crash Play Video

  November 5, 2012 11:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE- Friends of Samuel Barth, 17, remember a smart and funny high school student, and said his life was cut short. Barth died Monday afternoon in an accident on Jefferson Highway. Baton Rouge Police said Barth was driving south on Jefferson at a high rate of speed... more »

• High school student killed in BR car crash

  November 5, 2012 4:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police said a Baton Rouge teenager died when his car hit a pole and flipped this afternoon. Cpl. Tommy Stubbs said Samuel Barth, 17, died in the wreck at 6605 Jefferson Highway around 3 p.m. Stubbs said he was driving south on Jefferson at a... more »

• Shreveport police say child struck by patrol car

  November 1, 2012 2:46 PM

  SHREVEPORT - Authorities in Shreveport say an 11-year-old girl was seriously injured when she was struck by a police car. The accident happened around 7 a.m. Thursday. Police said the girl was standing in the street when a patrol car topped a small hill. Officials said the officer at the... more »

• BRPD: No positive ID on body found in trunk

  November 1, 2012 11:18 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Police in Baton Rouge said they haven't been able to determine the identity or cause of death for a body found in an abandoned car this afternoon. The car was found parked this morning in the lot of a beauty salon at Evangeline and Beechwood Drive.... more »

• Gas station problem could lead to costly repairs Play Video

  September 26, 2012 5:28 PM

  DUTCHTOWN - Many drivers say they had diesel in their gas-burning cars after filling up over the weekend at a Dutchtown gas station. Drivers told News 2 today about problems at the RaceTrac on Highway 73. Service technicians at LeBlanc Nissan say at least four customers have brought vehicles... more »

• Prairieville man arrested for stealing car with infant inside

  August 10, 2012 4:48 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Ascension Parish deputies arrested a man after he allegedly stole a vehicle with an infant still inside. Sheriff Jeff Wiley said 24 year-old Juan Carlos Funez-Matute was charged with Auto Theft and Simple Kidnapping. Deputies responded to a call from the Popingo on the corner... more »

• Police identify man found in burning car

  August 8, 2012 3:44 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police released the name of the man found in a burning car last week in Baton Rouge. Cpl. L'Jean McKneely with Baton Rouge Police said the body found in the vehicle was identified as Rufino Gachuzo, 29, of Hammond. Police had been called out to... more »

• Woman arrested after toddler left in car

  August 6, 2012 1:09 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police arrested a woman in Baton Rouge after they said she left a toddler she was caring for in a locked car for more than an hour this weekend. Officers arrested Sunjay Barber, 27, in suspicion of child desertion and cruelty to a juvenile. According... more »

• Ex-councilman now faces new charge

  August 3, 2012 3:30 PM

  KENNER - Former New Orleans City Councilman Jon Johnson - awaiting sentencing in a federal corruption case - has been booked for allegedly failing to return a rental car in 2005. The Times-Picayune reports the 63-year-old Johnson surrendered Tuesday to Kenner police. A 2006 warrant involves a car rented from... more »

• One dead in fiery Baton Rouge car crash

  August 2, 2012 7:38 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Police said one person was found dead inside a car in north Baton Rouge this morning after it wrecked. A Baton Rouge Police spokesperson said officers were sent out to the 800 block of Convention Street after the crash was reported around 5:47 a.m. today. ... more »

• Toddler hurt when car flips, mom arrested

  July 19, 2012 3:12 PM

  HOUMA - A Gibson, La., woman was charged with injuring her toddler daughter while driving drunk after her car flipped on a Terrebonne Parish highway, State Police said. The 2-year-old daughter of Lisa Marie Townsend received minor injuries. State police spokesman Evan Harrell said the mother also was slightly injured.... more »

• Deputy accused of crashing patrol car while drunk

  July 19, 2012 7:33 AM

  GRETNA - A Jefferson Parish sheriff's deputy has resigned after allegedly crashing his patrol car while drunk. Col. John Fortunato, a department spokesman, says that 27-year-old Christopher Hyer resigned July 12. He says Hyer had been suspended immediately after he was booked July 9 with driving while intoxicated... more »

• Juvenile arrested for car burglary in Assumption Parish

  July 18, 2012 3:18 PM

  Belle Rose-A 13 year-old juvenile accused of burglarizing a car in Assumption Parish, has been arrested. Detectives say the teen stole two pistols and other items from a car in Belle Rose. He was booked into the St. James Youth Detention Center on one count of simple burglary.... more »

• Car drives into LSU Lakes

  June 4, 2012 5:16 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police responded to a car which drove into the LSU Lakes near I-10 this afternoon. The wreck happened at the exit off I-10 East onto Dalrymple Drive. Baton Rouge Police responded to the scene, and EMS reported one person was treated and released at the... more »

• Shooting victim dies after taken off life support

  May 8, 2012 3:54 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A 23-year-old Baton Rouge man shot last weekend has now died. Danjae Parker of 4812 Monarch was taken off life support this morning around 8:30am. Parker was shot in the head while sitting in the passenger seat of a car while at a stop sign... more »

• Police identify suspect, victim in burned car murder

  May 3, 2012 2:41 PM

  BATON ROUGE - State Police identified the person accused of killing a man whose body was found Tuesday in a burned-out car in East Baton Rouge Parish. Late this afternoon Col. Mike Edmonson announced the arrest of 36-year-old Jason M. Mascarella of St. Gabriel. He has been charged with... more »

• Car slams into house, driver shot Play Video

  May 2, 2012 4:18 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A man is fighting for his life after he was shot, then lost control of his car and slammed into a house. It happened just after 4am Wednesday on Oriole Street near Scotland Avenue. No one was in the home at the time of the accident.... more »

• Man shot, car slams into home

  May 2, 2012 10:48 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A shooting just after four this morning left one man in critical condition. It happened on Oriole Street, near Scotland Avenue. Police told News2 the 25-year-old man was shot several times while inside a car. Once the unidentified man was shot, the car then... more »

• Rash of car burglaries puts neighborhood on alert Play Video

  April 5, 2012 4:25 PM

  PORT ALLEN - A West Baton Rouge neighborhood is on alert after burglars went through more than a dozen vehicles in their neighborhood, even stealing one. Nearly 20 vehicles were hit overnight on Emily Drive. Most were just rummaged through, but Andrew Law's truck was stolen. "I was... more »

• Couple linked to dozens of car burglaries Play Video

  March 19, 2012 5:11 PM

  BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office arrested two people for stealing wallets, purses, checkbooks and other valuables from at least 36 cars since last year. Investigators say 39-year-old Joseph Gonday and 28-year-old Eraina Gray, both of E. Innisworld Dr. in Baton Rouge, were arrested last... more »

• One dead after early morning crash

  March 19, 2012 5:14 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The victim of a deadly one vehicle accident in Baton Rouge remains unnamed Monday morning as first responders have yet to identify the body. Police and fire officials arrived at the 1500 block of N. Ardenwood Dr around 2:20 a.m. Monday where they found a vehicle... more »

• Police search for gunman in fatal interstate shooting

  March 3, 2012 10:46 AM

  BATON ROUGE- Baton Rouge Police are searching for 22-year-old Jerome Fort in connection to a fatal interstate shooting. Fort is accused of shooting 24-year-old Silas Robert Gibbs as they rode in a vehicle on I-110 near the Chippewa Street. Police found Gibbs' body in a stalled vehicle just... more »

• Police work to identify woman shot in car

  March 1, 2012 9:32 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police are trying to identity the 23-year-old woman shot dead in a car on Washington Avenue. It happened Thursday evening around 7:35pm. According to Baton Rouge Police, the woman was gunned down as she sat in the driver's seat in the 2800 block of Washington... more »

• Truck with 113 puppies crashes in Germany

  March 1, 2012 11:16 AM

  BERLIN- Police say a truck carrying 113 puppies crashed on a highway in western Germany but all but one of the dogs survived. Ludwigshafen police said the truck slid off a rainy exit ramp near the city of Schifferstadt before dawn Thursday, going through a guard rail and then tipping... more »

• Keep your car fuel efficient

  February 29, 2012 10:57 AM

  BATON ROUGE - When it comes to fuel efficiency, how you drive your car matters. Not only how you drive, but what you use when you drive, and the condition of your car could end up costing you more in gas. We get answers from the experts on... more »

• Rules to prevent car back-over deaths delayed

  February 29, 2012 8:16 AM

  WASHINGTON - Federal transportation officials are again delaying final rules aimed at helping prevent drivers from unintentionally backing over children. The government's proposed rules would require that automakers give drivers a better view of what's behind them, effectively necessitating rearview video camera systems on most new cars and trucks. Transportation... more »

• Man arrested on teen sex charge

  February 28, 2012 10:39 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A 26-year-old man has been arrested on charges that he had carnal knowledge of a 14-year-old girl. According to police, Brandon Brown picked up the girl Monday from her Baton Rouge home, took her to a parking lot on Plank Road and then had sex with... more »

• LISTEN: Authorities release 911 tapes of car submerged in bayou Play Video

  February 23, 2012 10:22 AM

  ST. AMANT - 911 tapes revealed the frantic efforts of rescuers as they tried to pull a woman and four children from a submerged car in Ascension Parish the night of Mardi Gras. The calls include the wife of a man who jumped into the Black Bayou to try... more »

• Curb the car dashboard technology, government asks

  February 16, 2012 3:02 PM

  WASHINGTON (AP) - Auto dashboards are becoming an arcade of text messages, GPS images, phone calls and web surfing, the government says, and it's asking carmakers to curb those distractions when vehicles are moving. Manufacturers have been loading up higher-end vehicles with an array of built-in gadgets in an effort... more »

• Fatal car-horse crash in Prentiss County

  February 15, 2012 8:44 AM

  BOONEVILLE, Miss. - A 48-year-old Rienzi man was killed when his car crashed into a stray horse on Highway 45 in Prentiss County. Mississippi Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer Ray Hill tells The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Timothy E. Crow was southbound when a horse came into his lane near... more »

• Roof collapse at car wash injures 2

  January 30, 2012 4:03 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Emergency personnel transported two people the hospital Monday afternoon with unknown injuries after an outside portion of a roof fell on them. It happened at Big Babyz Barber and Beauty Shop on Government Street around 3 p.m. The business is mostly known as a car... more »

• Girl jumps from car, killed by vehicle in Colorado

  January 28, 2012 5:08 PM

  KIPLING, CO- Police say a 17-year-old girl who jumped out of a car driven by her mother Saturday morning was hit and killed by an oncoming car. Police in Denver say a teenage girl is dead after she jumped out of a car driven by her mother and was hit... more »

• Driver dies in single-car accident

  January 18, 2012 8:14 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A Sulphur man is dead following a crash Tuesday evening in West Baton Rouge Parish. It happened just after 6:30 p.m. on I-10 eastbound near LA 415. State troopers say 51-year-old John Tarasiewicz was driving his Ford pickup when he suddenly ran off the roadway.... more »

• Deputy shoots suspect trying to steal cruiser

  January 14, 2012 4:16 PM

  METAIRIE - A Jefferson Parish Sheriff's deputy shot a man in the shoulder who took a police car to try to escape. Sheriff's department spokesman John Fortunato says 34-year-old Corey Rebaldo of Metairie, jumped from his truck and fled from the deputy, then doubled back and jumped into the police... more »

• Car chase results in life-threatening crash

  January 13, 2012 9:00 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A high-speed chase down Airline Highway crossed parish lines and resulted in a life-threatening crash just after midnight Friday. Reports indicate the car flipped several times, but the driver is still alive. The chase started in Ascension Parish, then continued into East Baton Rouge Parish,... more »

• Deputies rescue victim from sunken car

  January 12, 2012 2:34 PM

  SLIDELL, La. - A pair of St. Tammany Parish sheriff's deputies dispatched to a car crash in Slidell ended up rescuing a woman trapped inside her overturned car in a water-filled ditch. About 2:30 a.m. Thursday, Devin Coulon and Matt Fandal saw the car quickly filling with water. They broke... more »

• Alleged robber locked keys in his car

  January 10, 2012 3:15 PM

  LAFAYETTE, La.- Holdup Tip No. 1: Don't lock the keys in the getaway car. Tip No. 2: If you do, don't wait for someone to bring the spare. Lafayette police say a man accused of holding up a convenience store was arrested waiting for his mother to unlock his car.... more »

• Port Allen woman fatally struck by car

  January 8, 2012 5:14 PM

  PORT ALLEN- A woman is dead after being hit by a car in Port Allen. It happened around 2:00am Saturday morning on US 190 west of LA 1145. According to investigators, 39-year-old Elodia Smith walked directly into the path of a 1999 Mercury Cougar west on US 190.... more »

• BRPD: Shooting victim drives himself to help

  January 3, 2012 5:06 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police are investigating a shooting in Baton Rouge where a suspect shot a man several times while the victim was inside or next to his car. Detectives say the victim, Toney Banks, 43, was shot in the 6100 block of Blackberry around 2:00 this afternoon, and... more »

• Car fire spreads to house

  January 2, 2012 2:44 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Firefighters responded to a call about a house fire late this morning, and when they arrived found it actually started as a car fire. It happened at 3142 Seracedar in Baton Rouge. The fire started with the right headlight of a BMW parked in the carport... more »

• Driver killed in single car crash in Pointe Coupee Parish

  December 16, 2011 2:58 PM

  LAKELAND, La. (AP) - State police are investigating a single-vehicle crash in Pointe Coupee Parish that claimed the life of a 20-year-old man. The crash occurred on La. Highway 413 north of U.S. 190 at 4:00 a.m. Friday. Troopers say Dylan Juge of Glynn was driving a pickup north on... more »

• Car crash leaves one person dead

  December 8, 2011 3:47 AM

  BATON ROUGE - A single car accident in Baton Rouge left one man dead. It happened around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 10000 block of Darryl Drive. Police say the driver was partially ejected from his vehicle after the car flipped onto its side. The name of... more »

• Police arrest suspect wanted for robbery, kidnapping

  December 6, 2011 6:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Police arrested a man Tuesday who forced a woman to drive her car to an ATM, withdraw money for him to take, then left her bound in an abandoned building. Baton Rouge Police arrested Karl Bernard Stevenson, 38, of 10249 Avenue H for kidnapping and robbery.... more »

• Woman dies after crashing car into house

  December 4, 2011 10:24 AM

  BATON ROUGE- A Baton Rouge woman is dead after crashing her car into a house. Deon Brumfield Spears was found dead outside her vehicle on the 9100 block of Ridgewood Drive around 10:30pm Friday night. According to East Baton Rouge Sheriff's deputies, the 39-year-old's Cadillac Escalade left the... more »