17-year-old dead, two injured in hit-and-run crash, deputies say

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A crash near the intersection of I-610 and St. Bernard Avenue Wednesday night (Dec. 11) left a 17-year-old girl dead and two other people hospitalized after a theft incident at Lakeside Mall turned into a brief police chase, according to authorities.

Deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to a theft call just before 7:30 p.m. involving a group of women fleeing the mall in a red SUV.

An off-duty deputy observed the suspects leaving and provided responding units with the vehicle’s description and location over the radio as the suspects entered I-10 East.

We are located at the intersection of I-610 and St. Bernard Ave. from New Orleans, where JPSO took over a scene involving a two-car crash. Nothing confirmed from
JPSO yet, but one body is visible and another was loaded into an ambulance and taken away. @FOX8NOLA pic.twitter.com/FkTYEIMUel

— David Jones (@DavidJonesTV) December 12, 2024

Deputies located the vehicle near the Jefferson-Orleans parish line and initiated a pursuit at 7:33 p.m. Officials say the pursuit lasted less than a minute before a JPSO supervisor ordered it to end.

The deputies turned off their overhead lights and exited onto St. Bernard Avenue to return to Jefferson Parish. Upon reaching the end of the exit ramp, JPSO says deputies discovered the red SUV had been involved in an accident with another vehicle. Deputies secured the scene and contacted NOPD and New Orleans EMS for assistance.

Three female suspects allegedly fled the red SUV on foot. One woman, an unidentified 37-year-old woman, was detained near the scene of the crash. She is charged with theft in Jefferson Parish.

The search for the other two suspects continues. One suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Joneaka Smooth.

The accident resulted in the life of a 17-year-old girl in the uninvolved vehicle. Two others in that vehicle were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Their conditions have not been released.

Anyone with information regarding the incident or the whereabouts of the remaining suspects is encouraged to contact law enforcement.

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