Inmate pepper-sprays deputy and drives off in stolen patrol car, Louisiana deputies say
UPDATE: An escaped inmate accused of pepper-spraying a Louisiana deputy has been caught, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said Tuesday, Feb. 27.
At a news conference, Lopinto said Leon Ruffin, 51, was arrested without incident at a hotel in New Orleans East.
The original story continues below.
An escaped inmate doesn’t have “anything to lose” after he reportedly attacked a Louisiana deputy and drove away in her patrol car, according to the Jefferson Parish sheriff.
Leon Ruffin, 51, remained on the run as of Monday, Feb. 26, as authorities continued their urgent search.
Ruffin, who’s serving a life sentence after he was convicted of murder, was being escorted back to jail around 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 25 after being treated at Ochsner Medical Center following a seizure, Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said at a news conference.
“In our opinion, he was probably faking some injuries that he had,” the sheriff told reporters, adding that Ruffin had been in the jail’s medical facility “for some time” before he was taken to Ochsner for treatment.
On the way out of the parking lot, Ruffin reportedly caused a ”disturbance” and pepper-sprayed the deputy tasked with returning him to jail, Lopinto said.
He then fled the parking lot in her marked patrol car, according to the sheriff’s office.
Lopinto said it’s not clear how or where Ruffin got the pepper spray.
“My deputy still has her pepper spray on her, still has her Taser, still had her firearm but he was able to pepper-spray her,” the sheriff told reporters.
The deputy fired her gun at Ruffin but authorities said it’s not clear if he was hit.
The stolen patrol car was found abandoned in Algiers at 9:20 p.m., the sheriff’s office said.
There were no updates on Ruffin’s whereabouts as of Feb. 26, a department spokesperson told McClatchy News.
“I definitely consider him armed and dangerous by all means,” Lopinto said.
Jefferson Parish is about 30 miles south of New Orleans.
This story was originally published February 26, 2024 at 1:48 PM with the headline "Inmate pepper-sprays deputy and drives off in stolen patrol car, Louisiana deputies say."