Mississippi Coast man arrested after carjacking led to chase on I-10, authorities say
Harrison County deputies and Gulfport police arrested a man Thursday after he carjacked an Uber driver and fled authorities on I-10, Mississippi Coast sheriffs said.
Regio Darrell Lavant, 36, of Moss Point led authorities on a chase from Hancock County to Harrison County in his Uber driver’s Toyota Highlander, sheriffs said.
The pursuit ended after Lavant crashed on U.S. 49 near Orange Grove Road and tried to flee on foot, Hancock and Harrison county sheriffs said in press releases.
The chase began Thursday morning after an Uber driver picked Lavant up in New Orleans for a ride to Gulfport and called 911 to report she thought he had a gun, according to the release from Hancock County. Deputies first saw the Uber driver’s vehicle on eastbound I-10 near the weigh scales, and found the driver on the phone outside a nearby office building when they arrived. Lavant was inside the driver’s red Toyota Highlander but walked out towards her, the release said.
The release said deputies yelled at Lavant to get on the ground but he refused and hid behind the Highlander with an “unknown object” in his hand.
He used the vehicle to flee eastbound on I-10 into Harrison County, where local deputies took control of the chase.
Lavant tried to hit a Harrison County deputy on I-10, the Harrison County sheriff’s department said in a press release. Deputies lost the vehicle on U.S. 49 and Robinson Road but later found it crashed in a ditch on U.S. 49, according to Harrison County’s release. The Hancock County sheriff’s office also said Lavant hit a car near Orange Grove Road before his arrest.
Lavant fled the crash on foot, both sheriffs said. A Harrison County deputy and K-9 dog arrested him shortly after with help from Gulfport police, according to Harrison County’s release.
Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson said the crash resulted in no injuries but authorities transported Lavant to Memorial Hospital in Gulfport for dog bite wounds.
Lavant did not have a gun at the time of his arrest in Harrison County, Peterson said.
The chase sent Orange Grove Elementary in Gulfport into lockdown Thursday morning, Trang Pham-Bui, a public relations specialist at Harrison County School District, confirmed. The lockdown began around 8:25 a.m. and lasted 50 minutes, she said.
Lavant is in Harrison County jail charged with one count of felony evasion and one count of aggravated assault on a police officer. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said it would place a hold on Lavant for felonies of motor vehicle theft and eluding law enforcement.
Harrison County Justice Court Judge Damon Reese set Lavant’s bond at $250,000.
