Lake Charles, LA (KPEL News) - Louisiana State Police have released explicit body and dash cam video from a shootout in southwest Louisiana that happened in August 2023. Several law enforcement agencies were involved in a high speed chase and shootout  with a man who was stopped by a Cameron Parish deputy for minor traffic violations.

Please note that viewer discretion is advised. The video is intense and age-restricted. The content may not be suitable for children or sensitive viewers. Parts of the video have been redacted and/or blurred to protect the identity of potential witnesses or victims.

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On August 26, 2023, at 11:15 PM, a Cameron Parish Sheriff's deputy pulled someone over on Old Town Road near LA 27. The vehicle was a  2017 Lexus sedan, and the deputy tells the driver his head and tail lights are burned out.

The man, who identifies himself as John, doesn't initially appear to be combative or resistant. He acts more perplexed that his lights aren't working.

The subject was later identified by police as 34-year-old Spencer Wilson of Jacksonville, Texas.

When the deputy asks him to get out of the car and whether he has any weapons in the vehicle, Wilson speeds off. You'll hear the officer, as he gives chase, radio the incident into dispatch and tell them that there is a woman in the passenger seat of the car.

As the pursuit continues, you'll hear thuds on the police unit. Seconds later, bullets pelt the windshield of the deputy's vehicle as the man opens fire. The chase continues, and Wilson eventually turns into a plant entrance which dead ends. He turns around and heads back out of the plant toward the deputy and fired again. The deputy returns fire.

Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
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As the Lexus winds through Carlyss and Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish, officers from several other agencies join the pursuit.

The chase continued at "a high rate of speed," and Wilson failed to navigate a curve at the intersection of Gum Island Road and LA 108. His car went through a ditch, crossed LA 108, and crashed into another ditch.

Wilson got out of his vehicle, took cover in the ditch, and began firing a fully automatic weapon at officers. At least five of them fired back.

After the firing stopped, a Louisiana State Trooper's body cam footage shows them looking for Wilson. His body was found in a field with a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head.

The video  and the incident illustrate the danger law enforcement officers face every time they approach a vehicle they have stopped.

Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
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Lt. Melissa Matey with Louisiana State Police narrates the video and says the investigation into the incident will continue, at which time the report and all evidence, including body and dash cam footage, will be turned over to the District Attorney for review.

Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
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Lt. Mattey explains why they released the video:

... to give the community a better understanding of the incident that occurred.... the ability of this department to investigate these incidents is dependent upon the impartiality and transparency of the investigation.

 

One Sulphur police officer was treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the head, but no other officers were wounded. The woman in the passenger seat of the Lexus was released.

In addition to State Police, Sulphur Police, Vinton Police, and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office all assisted the Cameron Parish Sheriff's Office as the event unfolded.

Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
Courtesy YouTube via Louisiana State Police
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Louisiana State Police are asking that anyone with information about this or any other incident visit lsp.org and click on the Suspicious Activity link or call 800-434-8007.

VIDEO IS AGE RESTRICTED: VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED

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