Both suspects in custody after high speed chase across twin spans, manhunt in marsh

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune ^ | July 11, 2013 | Bob Warren

[BBell]

Both men involved in a high-speed car chase across the Interstate 10 twin spans with Slidell police are in custody, police said Thursday. One of the men had been taken into custody immediately following the chase Wednesday afternoon; the other was finally found in the marsh in eastern New Orleans late Wednesday night.

The arrested men have been identified as Devin Williams, 27, of New Orleans, and Bernell Morgan, 23, of New Orleans, the Slidell Police Department said.

The incident began Wednesday afternoon at a T-Mobile store in Slidell. Police received a call about a felony shoplifting of thousands of dollars worth of iPhones at the store, and when officers arrived the suspects jumped into a red Ford Mustang and fled west on I-10, police said. As the chase got underway, the pair in the Mustang began throwing weapons out of the car's windows, Slidell police said.

Shortly after getting off the bridge, the suspects crashed the stolen car they were in, Slidell police said. Morgan was taken into custody right away, but Williams fled into the nearby marsh.

He was caught in the marsh in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday after an extensive search by authorities from Slidell, the New Orleans Police Department, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office, state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, police said. The search included airboats and a helicopter.

[BBell]

I will give Devin Williams an 'A' for effort.

Anyone who has been in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge (I have several times) knows that is full of gators, snakes,pigs,spiders, and as of the last few years coyotes have moved in. I forgot to mention the masses of mosquitos. The problem is the Refuge is hemmed in on all sides. I-10, Lake Pontchartrain, and it's a long way to east New Orleans Through the swamp. There is a levee that leads to East NOLA but its wide and open and I'm sure well watched.

[BBell]

I think this guy was probably happy to be caught.

[BBell]

Biting flies, forgot them too.

[Joe 6-pack]

Lol...I was typing your comment in my head while I was reading the article.

[njslim]

Should have left him in the swamp for the gators to snack on

Save us lot of $$$

[Charles Martel]

You have to love these geniuses who lead a police chase onto a five- mile bridge. A year or two ago, a pair of carjackers were pursued out onto the same bridge, where they somehow crashed the stolen car. They continued fleeing towards the south shore on foot, with the police following in their cars, probably laughing themselves silly.

Yep, I know that marshy area; used to hunt and fish out there before it was made a wildlife refuge.

[BBell]

I remember that. The police just followed them on the bridge until they tired out and gave up. I agree, the police probably where laughing themselves silly.

[BBell]

I can only imagine the dialog after the crash:

Williams: I'm goin in tha swamp!!

Morgan: Ya crazy N!&&a!! No way my black a$$ goin in no swamp. I'm dun.

[BBell]

Also forgot the biting gnats. The can be worse then the mosquitoes.

[Charles Martel]

Oh, yeah - we used to go tie crab nets to the side of that bridge on Hwy. 11, just south of the lake and next to the I-10 overpass (sort of on the opposite side of the Interstate from the "castle"). I remember tending the nets with my t-shirt pulled up over my nose, just to avoid breathing in the gnats. And amazingly, I thought it was fun. :-)

New Orleans East was a nice place, before 1982 or so.