New Orleans alleged suspect evades police by jumping into Mississippi River
The man captured on video is not confirmed by the NOPD to be the same person of interest in a purse snatching along the 300 block of Royal Street in the French Quarter. Credit: @empoweryounola on Instagram
A video that's gone viral on social media depicts an alleged suspect of a purse snatching in the French Quarter Wednesday morning.
The video went viral around the same time the New Orleans Police Department said it took an alleged French Quarter purse-snatcher into custody after he jumped into the Mississippi River.
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While the New Orleans Police Department could not confirm the man in the Instagram post is the same suspect in question, the path of travel provided by the NOPD makes the viral video plausible.
Based on NOPD statements, the purse snatching occurred on the 300 block of Royal Street in New Orleans' French Quarter, where the suspect fled on foot down Bienville Street toward the Mississippi River. Graphics: Google Maps (Google Maps)
The NOPD alleges the suspect snatched a woman's belongings on the 300 block of Royal Street just after 9:00 a.m. Wednesday, momentarily evaded capture by jumping in the Mississippi River.
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Police shared more details on the morning's events.
"The suspect fled riverbound on Bienville Street, NOPD officers were alerted and joined in the foot chase, along with other non-NOPD uniformed officers. The suspect then jumped into the Mississippi River."
After a brief re-surfacing of the suspect as positively identified by Eighth District NOPD officers, he allegedly returned to the river's waters to continue evading capture.
In a viral video posted on @empoweryounola's Instagram page Wednesday, a man swims against the Mississippi River's current with the New Orleans Highway 90 bridge visible in the background. (@empoweryounola on Instagram)
Only once the suspect was "seen struggling" in the Mississippi's current did an RTA ferry assist the alleged purse thief back to land.
Once attended to by an EMS and declared uninjured, the suspect was arrested "in connection" to the purse snatching.
The NOPD has yet to release the name of the suspect in this case, and shared with Fox News Digital that "no information as to the suspect's identity is currently available."
In a report released by the NOPD this week, burglary in the Crescent City on average has increased from 2022 numbers by 13%.
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Mugshots of arrested subjects are kept unreleased per Louisiana state law.
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