Detectives investigate incident involving toy gun pointed at deputy | Local news

In the early morning hours of June 10, 2024, an off-duty officer was driving in the central Lafourche Parish area when she noticed a pickup truck closely following her. At approximately 1:30 a.m., the off-duty officer pulled into the parking lot of the LPSO Criminal Operations Center in Lockport, and the pickup truck followed her. The truck pulled into the parking lot, and a passenger got out and pointed a gun at the officer’s vehicle before leaving the area.

The off-duty deputy reported the incident and followed the vehicle to the area of ​​Central Lafourche Drive. Additional deputies arrived in the area and conducted a traffic stop. Deputies identified the occupants of the truck as three male teenagers. All were detained and questioned about the incident. They also found three gel blaster guns that were painted to look like real firearms. No charges have been filed yet, but the investigation into this incident is ongoing.

Through investigation, officers learned that the teens thought they were following a friend’s vehicle and were unaware that they were actually following an officer. Sheriff Webre said it is important for parents and children to be aware of the risks associated with handling toy guns or replica guns that look like real firearms.

“Because the goal is to look like a real firearm, neither a deputy nor a citizen would immediately know the difference if a gun was pointed at them, especially at night,” said Sheriff Webre. “Fortunately, this situation ended peacefully for all involved, but these teens’ mistake in believing they were following friends could have potentially had deadly consequences. I urge everyone to exercise extreme caution when displaying firearms or realistic-looking weapons in public places and never point a gun at anyone without legal justification. I also strongly recommend never modifying toy guns to look like real firearms.”