Eldrin Loren Smart, 31

Kenner, Louisiana
January 21, 2014

Agencies: Kenner Police Department Louisiana

Cause of death: Shooting

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Last updated: almost 6 years ago

Overview

It's not clear who opened the car doors, but Caraway said the detectives had their guns drawn and had identified themselves as police officers. The detective on the passenger side reached into the vehicle to retrieve the car keys.

That's when the driver, Smart, put the car in reverse, knocking the detective on the passenger side into the car and on top of the vehicle's passenger.

The passenger, Caraway said, was not resisting. He had raised his hands as soon as the officers identified themselves. "He may very well have been as shocked as the officer was," Caraway said.

The driver sped forward, forcing the detective on the driver's side of the car to dive out of the way. Inside the car, the detective lying on top of the passenger tried again to pull out the car keys. Smart hit the detective's hand several times to prevent him from removing the keys, according to Caraway.

The car's speed reached at least 50 miles per hour. But Smart didn't get far. The detective fired his gun, hitting Smart in the side. Smart then crashed into a Ford F-150 pickup truck parked a block away, at Clay and 10th streets in the parking lot of First United Methodist Church.

Smart's car slid underneath the truck, hoisting it into the air. The front end of the truck then crashed into a silver Pontiac Grand Prix parked in front of the house in the 1000 block of Clay Street.

The truck belongs to John Schaub, 67, of Buckley, Mich., a volunteer in town with World Renew Disaster Response Services. The group is working to repair homes damaged during Hurricane Isaac in 2012.

"My pickup was sitting on top of the car," said Schaub, who was asleep inside the church when the crash occurred. Schaub found out about the wreck after a friend stepped outside to lock his vehicle doors.

The crushed Grand Prix still sat in the front yard Wednesday morning. The newly purchased car belongs to Karen Samuels' daughter-in-law. Samuels overheard the crash from inside her home. "It sounded like a dump truck," she said, describing the wreck.

Smart was dead at the crash scene, police said. The passenger and the detective were taken to local hospitals. The passenger was scheduled for surgery to repair a broken arm on Wednesday afternoon, Caraway said.