Suspect stabs himself after chase

A man fleeing law enforcement in Tangipahoa Parish stabbed himself in the chest after driving off Interstate 12 in Lacombe on Wednesday night, after leading deputies on a two-parish chase that didn't stop even after most of his tires were blown out by spike strips.

Derrill Naquin, 36, was taken to Louisiana Heart Hospital after the chase. His condition was unknown late Wednesday.

The pursuit began before 5 p.m., when Tangipahoa and Jefferson Parish deputies tried to arrest Naquin on a warrant for felony theft and criminal damage near Amite, Tangipahoa Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Deputy Dawn Panepinto said.

As deputies were trying to get Naquin out of his vehicle he drove off, dragging a Tangipahoa deputy about 10 feet before the officer was able to free himself, Panepinto said. The deputy was uninjured, she said.

Law enforcement, including State Police, followed Naquin onto I-12, eventually crossing into St. Tammany Parish. Deputies there joined in the chase, initially trying to stop Naquin with a spike strip laid across the interstate near Louisiana 1077, St. Tammany Sheriff's Office spokesman Capt. George Bonnett said.

Although the strip blew out at least one of Naquin's tires, he continued to drive at about 50 mph, Bonnett said. He lost more tires and speed after hitting another spike strip at Louisiana 1088 but continued on for about another mile before hitting another strip about a mile to the east, he said.

With no tires left, Naquin's vehicle slowed and left the roadway, Bonnett said. As deputies approached the vehicle, they saw that Naquin had stabbed himself in the chest with a kitchen knife, he said.

On his release from the hospital, Naquin will be booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail in Covington as a fugitive from Tangipahoa Parish, Bonnett said. Tangipahoa authorities are still investigating the case and have not yet determined what charges he will face from the pursuit or from dragging the deputy with his car, Panepinto said....