Suspect dead after attempted car theft on Saturday morning | Crime/Police

Slidell police say one person died after being shot while allegedly trying to steal a car in Slidell. They are still searching for a suspect in the theft who was last seen in New Orleans.

Two were arrested.

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Saturday morning when police received a call about a suspicious person in the area.

The caller said he saw someone attempting to break into a parked vehicle at an apartment complex. Police then received a second call reporting multiple gunshots near “1640 Town Center Parkway (The Masons Apartment Complex),” possibly coming from a black SUV.

Investigators believe the four suspects attempted to steal a Chevrolet Camaro from the apartment complex's parking lot. The owner heard the car's alarm and confronted them. A gunfire then ensued between the car owner and the suspects. The car owner hit one of the suspects and they all drove off in a black Cadillac Escalade.

When Slidell police arrived, they saw the Escalade turning onto Old Spanish Trail and attempted to stop it, leading to a chase that ended in New Orleans. Officers said the car stopped and three of the suspects got out and fled.

A police dog spotted one of them under a raised house. Another was caught behind a shed in the backyard of a house with a gun that turned out to be stolen, police said.

The third suspect was found dead in the back seat of the Escalade.

“Slidell Police Department investigators determined that the four individuals in the black SUV were traveling to apartment complexes in the Slidell area to steal vehicles,” a police news release said.

The search for the fourth suspect is still ongoing.

One of the juveniles arrested was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, burglary tools, simple burglary, armed possession of a weapon and aggravated flight from an officer. The other was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, burglary tools, simple burglary, armed possession of a weapon, aggravated flight from an officer and illegal possession of stolen firearms.

“Both suspects also face murder and attempted murder charges for shooting the owner of the vehicle and for killing their accomplice in the commission of a crime,” Slidell police said.