News Roundup

Shoplift Suspects Peel Away from Cop

Officer shoots car after confrontation

Monday, May 09, 2005
By Trymaine D. Lee
Staff writer

A veteran New Orleans police officer was injured Sunday after being dragged and then nearly mowed over by a car driven by pair of Wal-Mart shoppers who had allegedly stolen two large bags of baby formula, police said.

Police said that about 2:20 p.m., a store security guard and Officer Stanley Sturgis, a 16-year veteran with the department’s 6th District who was working an off-duty paid detail, watched as a man and woman emerged from the Uptown Wal-Mart in the 1900 block of Tchoupitoulas Street with merchandise that appeared to be stolen.

Capt. Anthony Cannatella said the couple hopped into a gold-colored, older model Cadillac sedan, which Sturgis and the security guard quickly approached from the passenger’s side, where the man was seated.

That’s when the caper and attempted arrest took a violent, near-deadly turn, Cannatella said. As Sturgis opened the front passenger-side door and he and the security guard stood in the wedge between the man and the door, the man kicked the officer, police said.

“The male passenger told the female driver to leave,” Cannatella said, and demanded that she “run over the (officer), run over the (officer).” The driver threw the car into reverse and stepped on the accelerator. Both Sturgis and the guard were knocked to the ground and dragged a few feet, police said.

Before the car could roll over them, Sturgis unholstered his service pistol and fired. The gunshot shattered the front passenger-side window as the car sped off. “It’s really a miracle that the right-front tire didn’t run over the officer,” Cannatella said. “Officer Sturgis is a field training officer with experience; he’s not some kid that didn’t know what he had.”

Police are describing the incident as the attempted murder of a police officer.

Sturgis was taken to a hospital and treated for moderate injuries to his arm and torso, police said. The security guard did not report any injuries.

The suspects fled down Felicity Street, police said. The pair remained on the loose Sunday evening. Police said the couple were possibly in their 30s. The man was wearing a red shirt and blue jeans, and the woman was wearing a black and yellow shirt and black pants. It’s unknown whether either suspect was struck by the gunshot.

Though police said the store’s roof-mounted surveillance camera captured segments of the incident, the video yielded little in the form of a license plate number or clear facial shot of the suspects.

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Anyone with information is asked to call Crimestoppers at 822-1111 or toll free at (877) 903-7867. Callers do not have to give their names or testify and can earn up to $2,500 for tips that lead to an indictment.