NEW ORLEANS (WWL-TV)— As the New Orleans Police Department pieces together the circumstances of a deadly crash and fire at a Broadmoor beauty salon, all officers involved in the attempted traffic stop have been reassigned to desk duty.
Authorities say two teenagers in a possibly stolen car fled police Wednesday night before crashing into the Unity-1 Beauty Supply hair salon at the corner of Washington Avenue and South White Street.
The crash started a fire that ultimately left the two teenagers dead and three others hurt. Police said Friday morning that a customer rescued from the fire with serious burns had died at the hospital.
After initially saying that it was believed that police officers did not pursue the vehicle that crashed into the salon, the NOPD shifted its position Thursday. NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said that the department was opening a formal investigation into the attempted traffic stop before the crash.
“Through further investigation, we have gathered additional factors that warrant a formal investigation into a possible violation of the NOPD vehicle pursuit policy,“ Ferguson stated in an emailed statement.
A spokesperson for the department said Friday that all of the officers involved had been reassigned to desk duty “pending the outcome of an administrative investigation.“
The NOPD’s vehicle pursuit policy tries to balance public safety and catching criminals.
“Officers may engage in a pursuit only when they have a reasonable suspicion that a fleeing suspect has committed or has attempted to commit a crime of violence,” the section on vehicle pursuits in NOPD’s operations manual says.
