Kenner Suspect Bolts From Traffic Stop, Dives Into Canal Near Loyola and Vintage

A traffic stop near Vintage and Loyola in Kenner turned into a chase and canal search Thursday afternoon, after a man accused of running from officers led them past a nearby fire department before jumping into the water. Kenner Police Department officers combed nearby woods for the suspect, and as of Thursday evening it had not been confirmed whether he had been captured.

Chase Wound Past the Firehouse Before Suspect Hit the Water

According to WDSU, the man is accused of running from a traffic stop that began near the intersection of Vintage and Loyola in Kenner. The chase continued around the fire department before the suspect attempted to escape by running away and jumping into a nearby canal, according to police, per the outlet's report. Officers then fanned out to search the surrounding woods for him.

The station's report, authored by Erin Lowrey, does not specify what prompted the original traffic stop or identify the suspect. It also had not confirmed by the time of publication whether the man had since been captured.

Kenner's Canal-Lined Streets Have Seen This Before

The Loyola and Vintage corridor sits in northern Kenner, near residential subdivisions including Louisiana Trace and Kenner City Park, an area flanked by open drainage canals that carry stormwater toward Lake Pontchartrain, according to the Jefferson Parish street map. That terrain has proven treacherous during past pursuits. In March 2026, a high-speed crash at that same intersection forced vehicle components into the adjacent canal and tore out roughly 40 yards of fencing along the Louisiana Trace subdivision, according to the Kenner Police Department. A separate multi-parish pursuit that same month, starting on Interstate 10 in St. Charles Parish, ended when a suspect's vehicle crashed into a drainage canal near West Esplanade and Florida avenues in Kenner before the driver was apprehended, as reported by WWL-TV. In July 2025, a driver died in Kenner after a brief high-speed chase ended with a vehicle crashing into a drainage canal at 90 mph, the station also reported.

Fleeing into canals or wooded canal banks has become a recurring tactic among suspects trying to evade Kenner police, often forcing officers to establish multi-agency perimeters and bring in K-9 units or camera tracking. In May 2026, Kenner officers deployed Flock safety camera technology alongside K-9 search teams to track down suspects who fled a traffic stop following an attempted robbery on Williams Boulevard, a pursuit Hoodline covered in a Williams Boulevard chase report. The following day, Hoodline reported on a Kenner teen who tried to escape a mile-long police chase by cutting through a golf course.

What Fleeing a Traffic Stop Can Mean Legally

Under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:108.1, flight from an officer occurs when a driver intentionally refuses to stop after receiving visual and audible signals from a marked police vehicle, an offense punishable by fines between $150 and $500 and up to six months in prison, according to FindLaw. Penalties escalate sharply for aggravated flight, defined as fleeing while committing life-endangering acts such as running traffic signals or leaving the roadway. Under Louisiana SB 184, enacted in May 2024, state lawmakers raised the maximum sentence for aggravated flight from five years to 10 years at hard labor, according to BillTrack50. Suspects who abandon a vehicle and continue running on foot can also face a separate misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:108, which covers flight after a suspect has received notice of detention or arrest, per Justia Law.

The Kenner Police Department, led by Chief Keith A. Conley and headquartered at 500 Veterans Boulevard, has not released the suspect's identity or said what charges he may face. It remains unclear whether he was located after entering the water or whether the search was still active as of Thursday evening.