Uber passenger arrested after he reportedly carjacks vehicle, leads high-speed chase down Mississippi interstate
Published 1:31 pm Thursday, November 16, 2023
One man is under arrest after officials say he stole a vehicle from an Uber driver, led Mississippi law enforcement on a high-speed chase and then crashed the stolen vehicle in a Gulfport restaurant parking lot.
WLOX in Biloxi reports that Regio Darrell Lavant was arrested following the pursuit through Hancock and Harrison counties.
Officials report that the Uber driver called the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and said the male passenger she was transporting from New Orleans to Gulfport was acting suspiciously and had a gun.
When officers located the Uber driver’s SUV parked on I-10 East near mile marker ten at the weigh scale, the driver was on the phone outside the SUV, and the suspect, later identified as Lavant, was inside the vehicle.
When the Lavant exited the SUV, deputies commanded him to get on the ground, according to HCSO.
Lavant refused to comply and then reportedly stole the SUV, leading deputies on a high-speed chase on I-10 into Harrison County.
The chase ended near Orange Grove Road in Gulfport when the SUV crashed into another vehicle outside the Taco Bell on Highway 49.
Lavant then reportedly tried to run away from the scene, before he was apprehended by the Gulfport Police and Harrison County Sheriff’s Department.
Lavant is being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center on charges through the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office. The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office will be placing a hold on Lavant for the charges of motor vehicle- felony taking and felony eluding law enforcement.