I-12 West behind Walker reopens; officer hit by car released from hospital

WALKER — Westbound Interstate 12 at the Walker exit was closed after a trooper was struck by a car while pursuing a suspect on foot in the eastbound lane, Denham Police said Friday. The road has since reopened.

Traffic stuck in the traffic jam caused by the accident was allowed to pass the accident site, but the road remained closed. The traffic jam reached a length of eleven kilometers.

The officer, Cpl. Brandon Ashton, was on foot attempting to make contact with a person also on foot on I-12 eastbound near mile marker 14 when he was struck by a vehicle, police said.

“When the officer got there, he exited his unit and attempted to make contact with him,” said Sergeant Scott Sterling of the Denham Springs Police Department. “The suspect jumped over the median wall into westbound traffic. As traffic attempted to slow down to avoid hitting the suspect, he swerved, slammed on his brakes and pulled onto the shoulder where Corporal Ashton was standing.”

Ashton was taken to Our Lady of the Lake Church in Baton Rouge after he was struck by the vehicle attempting to evade the suspect, who had veered into the roadway. He has since been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

“Chief Walker would like to express his gratitude to all of our law enforcement partners as well as all of the medical personnel who responded to the incident. We are asking for prayers for our officer and his family at this time,” a police spokesperson said.

It is unlikely that charges will be brought against the man who hit Ashton, Sterling said.

“They were visibly distraught. They were upset about the situation, but there were several witnesses who said the driver had done everything he could. He was already on the brakes, trying to avoid a collision. Given the situation, there was simply no way out.”