Joneaka Smooth Arrested; – A woman has been apprehended in connection with a deadly car chase that resulted in the deaths of two teenagers from West Jefferson High School, as reported by the New Orleans Police Department. The suspect, 31-year-old Joneaka Smooth, voluntarily surrendered to authorities on Thursday afternoon.
She is facing charges of manslaughter and hit-and-run. According to the New Orleans police, a second teenager has succumbed to injuries sustained during the fatal car chase that occurred on Wednesday night, and the suspect has been identified. Authorities are actively seeking Joneaka Smooth, who is alleged to have instigated a high-speed collision that claimed the lives of two teenagers and left another individual injured when her SUV collided with their vehicle on December 11.
After the incident, Smooth fled the scene and is now charged with manslaughter and hit-and-run, as stated by the police. On Thursday afternoon, Jefferson Parish Schools confirmed that the victims involved in the chase were students at West Jefferson High School. Rafael Goyeneche, President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, noted that police departments typically engage in pursuits only in cases involving violent crimes, suggesting that chasing shoplifters is not justified.
“That is generally the rationale behind such policies, which likely led the Jefferson Parish supervisor to order the pursuit to cease,” Goyeneche remarked. He further stated that the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office (JPSO) had the authority to pursue suspects beyond parish lines.
“The sheriff’s deputies were fully entitled to cross that jurisdictional boundary in pursuit of a crime; however, the policies governing engagement in pursuits take precedence for any law enforcement agency,” Goyeneche explained.
He indicated that the internal affairs division of JPSO is likely investigating whether the agency adhered to the rules of Orleans Parish and whether the deputies involved were aware that the pursuit was related to shoplifting. The collision occurred around 7:39 p.m. on Interstate 610 East, near the St. Bernard Avenue off-ramp.
JPSO deputies were dispatched to a store within Lakeside Mall following reports of a group of women engaged in theft. An off-duty deputy observed the women fleeing the mall in a red SUV and subsequently alerted on-duty deputies via radio while maintaining visual contact.
