Police Chase Ends In Shooting At New Orleans Airport

KENNER, La. -- Police arrested three teens following a car chase that ended in a shooting at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Tuesday.
Witnesses said the scene at the airport was something out of the movies. Taxi cab driver Rommel Parales said he was waiting at the top of the cab line when he saw the police chase unfold right in front of him.
"You kind of get scared because you don't see it every day," said Parales.
Kenner police said it all started when one of their license plate recognition cameras detected a stolen SUV with three people in it. Investigators said the SUV was reported stolen during an armed robbery in New Orleans six days ago, and one of the suspects is 19 and the other two are 16.
The chase, which lasted seven minutes, started on Veterans Boulevard, then onto the airport access road and onto the lower level of the airport beginning a path of destruction that hit at least five occupied cars, police said.
"The driver jumped out. One of the passengers jumped into driver's seat, tried to get away again as police were trying to approach. It rammed another vehicle. As police approached, it continued trying to get away, striking the vehicle and that's when he was shot by the police officer, before he could cause any more damage or harm," said Kenner Police Chief Steve Caraway.
Caraway said the teen, who was trying to escape, was hit once on the side of his stomach and no one else was hurt. But Parales said it was a dangerous situation in which the public's safety was at risk.
"Everybody had to stop. A lot of people had to jump out of the way, because you could hear sirens going back and forth. So definitely everyone moved out of the way," Parales said.
Caraway said the teen suspects now face a slew of charges including possible attempted murder charges, because the car police said they stole was being used as a dangerous weapon.
"Shooting someone armed with a weapon, in this case with a vehicle that had already struck four vehicles and just done serious damage to a fifth. I think the officer acted appropriately, but again, that's what the internal investigation is for, so we will see," said Caraway.
Caraway said the lower level of the airport was closed and traffic was being rerouted upstairs during the investigation. Airport officials said it was always business as usual.

Copyright 2011 by WDSU.com. All rights reserved.

Video was shot from the Air Traffic Control Tower "after" it happened.

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