SHREVEPORT, La. - A suspect is being treated for a bite from a K-9 officer's dog, following a chase where the suspect drove the wrong way on Interstate 49 and crashed off an embankment.
The man taken into custody is facing multiple charges. Police say he stole a UPS truck containing a shipment of weapons and prescription drugs early Monday.
SPD responded to the UPS facility on Jim Casey Drive just before 5 a.m. Officers say a high-speed chase began when officers spotted the box truck off of Clyde Fant Memorial Parkway.
SPD says a patrol car and K-9 unit were hit by the stolen UPS truck.
During the chase, which lasted approximately 20 minutes, the box truck's back door and roof were ripped off the truck. Labeled packages fell from the speeding truck.
Prior to the end of the chase, the suspect drove the UPS truck the wrong way on I-49, heading northbound in the southbound lanes. The truck crashed at Bert Kouns and I-49, driving down an embankment and getting stuck. Officers at the scene identified the suspect as Skyler Jarvis, 23.
Due to the nature of the contents of the truck, investigators will try to learn whether this was a targeted crime and if the alleged truck thief had prior knowledge of the shipment.
A tow vehicle managed to haul the wrecked truck out of the ditch alongside the interstate's off-ramp. Investigators arranged for a separate UPS truck and staff to offload the parcels left inside the truck as well as some that had been recovered from the chase route.
An inventory will be conducted to determine if any packages were removed or fell from the moving vehicle, and if so, what they might contain.
UPS issued a statement to KTBS saying, "We are aware of an incident with an individual who entered UPS property and drove away with a company vehicle. No UPS employees were injured during the incident and packages inside the vehicle have been delivered. We’re working closely with local law enforcement and defer any further questions to them."