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BRPD searching for suspects targeting and shooting police units

2 years 8 months 4 weeks ago Friday, June 18 2021 Jun 18, 2021 June 18, 2021 10:10 PM June 18, 2021 in News
Source: WBRZ

BATON ROUGE- As gun violence increases in the capital area, Baton Rouge Police have fallen in the line of fire.

"Well, it's a very serious situation. We've had two police units while they are out there working being shot at,” said BRPD spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely.

The first incident happened in late May on Bard Avenue. A gunshot shattering the rear windshield of a police unit and the bullet hitting the vehicle’s headliner.

“Officers ride in areas where there is an increase of calls. So that particular officer was riding with his lights on and somebody fired a shot,” said McKneely.

The second incident happened a few weeks later in mid-June.

“Officers were clearing an area where people had been street racing. While they were there hanging around making sure those guys didn't come back, the officer was sitting in his unit and somebody fired a shot at him and it struck his car,” said McKneely.

That bullet hit the side of the car. In both incidents, nobody was injured. BRPD believes both shots were intentionally aimed at law enforcement.

“You see our car coming through. We are very visible. We have the blue stripes with the lettering that says 'Police' and we have lights on top. So beyond a shadow of a doubt, we believe that the officers in the units were being targeted,” said McKneely.

McKneely tells WBRZ he feels BRPD has a good relationship with the community and says these situations usually involve a few bad people.

“This is isolated incidents and individuals who are out there committing crimes, and that’s a small percentage,” said McKneely.

He says these incidents are not tied to the continued increase in violence in the capital region.

“We're now having daytime shootings and that's usual, we hadn't had that and that started sometime last year,” said McKneely.

They are still searching for the individuals who shot at those police cars. If you have any information, contact the Baton Rouge Police Department.

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