By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- • Louisiana State Police stopped Victor Rivas, 40, of Montz, on Interstate 310 in St. Charles Parish after responding to a report of a reckless driver whose vehicle had struck a concrete barrier on Interstate 10 near Metairie.
- • Rivas fled on foot from troopers, jumped from the elevated interstate into a swamp below, and was subsequently attacked by an alligator after re-entering the water while continuing to evade officers.
- • St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies joined the search and ultimately located Rivas using a drone following the alligator attack.
- • Rivas was transported to a hospital with injuries to both arms before being booked in St. Charles Parish on charges of driving while intoxicated and resisting an officer.
- • Rivas also faces an outstanding warrant from Jefferson Parish for hit-and-run driving and careless operation of a vehicle; he was held at Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona on a $17,500 bond.
ST. CHARLES PARISH, La. — A man suspected of driving while impaired was taken into custody Sunday after fleeing a Louisiana State Police traffic stop on Interstate 310, jumping into a swamp, surviving an alligator attack, and continuing to evade officers before being located by a sheriff’s department drone.
Louisiana State Police were notified of a recklessly driven Toyota Supra on Interstate 10 near Bonnabel Boulevard in Metairie. The vehicle struck a concrete barrier, causing a tire blowout. Troopers located the car as it traveled south on I-310 and conducted a traffic stop, identifying the driver as Victor Rivas, 40, of Montz. Troopers observed signs of impairment in Rivas, according to State Police.
Rivas fled on foot along the elevated interstate before jumping from the side of the highway into the swamp below. Deputies from the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office responded to assist in the search. Rivas was initially located walking on Airline Highway but re-entered the nearby swamp in a continued attempt to evade officers. He was attacked by an alligator during that second entry into the water. Despite sustaining injuries to both arms, Rivas continued to flee.
State Police and Sheriff’s Office personnel ultimately located Rivas using a drone. He was taken to a hospital for treatment of his injuries before being transported to custody. Rivas was booked at the St. Charles Parish jail on charges of driving while intoxicated and resisting an officer.
State Police said Rivas also has an outstanding warrant from Jefferson Parish for hit-and-run driving and careless operation of a vehicle. As of Monday, he was being held at Nelson Coleman Correctional Center in Killona on a $17,500 bond. No additional charges related to the alligator encounter or the initial crash had been publicly announced. The case remains under investigation by Louisiana State Police.