Baton Rouge police are searching for two individuals following a shooting in the parking lot of a bank near Towne Center that sent one person to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.
The incident occurred just before 2 p.m. outside the Gulf Coast Bank located at the corner of Jefferson Highway and Thibodeaux Avenue. According to the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD), officers were dispatched to the location after receiving a report of a suspicious situation involving a vehicle in the bank’s parking lot.
Police said three people were inside the vehicle when an officer approached. During the encounter, shots were fired. One person was struck by gunfire, and two others fled the scene on foot. Authorities have not released the identities of those involved.
Sources indicated that the individual who was shot was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Following the shooting, BRPD established a large police presence in the surrounding area as officers searched for the two suspects who ran from the vehicle. Multiple roads were shut down, including portions of Lobdell Avenue, to allow officers to canvass the area. Helicopters and K-9 units were also deployed as part of the search effort.
During the response to the shooting, two BRPD patrol units were involved in a crash at the intersection of Goodwood Boulevard and East Airport Avenue. One officer sustained a minor injury as a result of the collision.
As a precaution, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, located just over a mile from the scene, was placed under a shelter-in-place order while police continued their search.
In an initial alert, law enforcement described the situation as an officer-involved shooting, noting that shots were fired at officers at the Gulf Coast Bank location. At the time, three subjects were reported to be involved, described as a white male, a white female, and a third individual who was possibly shot.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police have not yet released additional details. Authorities are asking anyone with information related to the incident to contact the Baton Rouge Police Department.