St. Tammany Deputy Killed, Suspects Charged with Murder

Sgt. Grant Candies of the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office was killed during a high-speed pursuit when a suspect's vehicle struck him as he deployed a spike strip on Interstate 10. The pursuit began when the driver fled from a traffic stop, eventually ending in a crash with a New Orleans Police vehicle. The driver, 17-year-old Adrian Waughtal, along with passengers Mason Paul Eugene Fischer and Michael Emanuel Lanier, both also 17, have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder, among other charges. Sgt. Candies, a respected member of the department, was married with two children and had been named deputy of the year for saving lives. The incident injured a New Orleans police officer and hospitalized the vehicle's occupants, who are in stable condition. Sheriff's Office confirmed all perpetrators involved have been taken into custody and further charges may follow.