A high-speed chase of a stolen car through Ruston on New Year’s Day left to the arrest of an Arcadia man who faces numerous charges.
Ruston Police arrested Dshawn Marquez Heard, 20, about 7:00 p.m. on January 1 after officers responded to Fountain Drive off South Farmerville Street regarding gunshots.
An officer saw a 2024 Nissan Sentra attempting to leave the scene hastily and tried to stop it. The driver accelerated quickly, ran the stop sign at Fountain and Farmerville Street, and turned south. The suspect then ran a second stop sign onto Tennessee Avenue, and continued east, reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour.
After turning onto Water Tank Road, the Nissan stopped and the several occupants fled on foot.
According to an officer’s report, as Heard ran away, he was holding his waistband as if something with was weighting down his pants. As Heard rounded a residence onto First Street and was seen again, he was no longer holding his waistband. He was taken into custody, and a pistol was found on the ground on the path Heard ran onto First Street.
The Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol was equipped with a device to convert it into a fully automatic machine gun, the officer wrote.
Police determined the Nissan had been stolen in Shreveport. The key fob was found in Heard’s pocket. The license plate displayed on the vehicle had been stolen in Texas. A backpack in the car contained several bags of marijuana, two digital scales, unused plastic baggies, and multiple cellular phones.
Heard was booked into the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a machine gun, illegal carrying of a weapon in the presence of a controlled substance, two counts of illegal possession of stolen things, aggravated flight from an officer, switched license plate, resisting an officer, obstruction of justice, and running a stop sign, and a RPD warrant for resisting an officer.
Heard’s bail was set at $101,500.
This investigation into the incident remains ongoing. Additional charges and arrests may follow. Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Ruston Police Department at 318-255-4141.
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