UPDATE: Carencro Man Wanted for Carjacking, Attempted Murder Caught

UPDATE: A Carencro man wanted on carjacking and attempted murder charges has been arrested. Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson reports that 30-year-old Michael Lee Duplechain, Junior, was arrested without incident by Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Deputies Wednesday night near Iowa, Louisiana.

He faces charges in Acadia Parish in conjunction with an incident in Rayne, as well as charges filed by the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office.

ORIGINAL STORY

Rayne, LA (KPEL News) - Acadia Parish Sheriff's deputies are searching for a Carencro man wanted on carjacking and attempted second-degree murder charges. The incident occurred in Rayne, Louisiana, on Monday, March 11, 2024, at about 11 PM.

Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson says the suspect asked the victim for a ride to a home on Nation Road near Rayne. When they got to the house, the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun and demanded that the victim give him the car. When that person refused, the suspect shot him in the torso and took the car.

The victim was taken to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

The vehicle that was stolen is a silver 2012 Audi A4, with a black hood, front grill, and tires. There has been no sign of the car.

Two high-profile carjackings have made the news in the last six months. The first involved the New Orleans District Attorney who was carjacked while with his mother. At least two suspects were arrested in the case. In Lafayette, a 14-year-old was arrested on carjacking charges for allegedly brandishing a gun, threatening a man, and then stealing his car.

READ MORE: 14-Year-Old Arrested in Connection with Lafayette Carjacking

In response to the increase in violent carjacking across the state, the Louisiana Legislature passed a law during its special session on crime that doubles the mandatory jail time to five years for carjacking. Governor Jeff Landry has signed the measure.

In the most recent Rayne case, the suspect has been identified as 30-year-old Michael Lee Duplechain whose last known address is 835 Vatican Road in Carencro. He is 5-feet, 9-inches tall and weighs about 150 pounds.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Michael Duplechian or the stolen vehicle is asked to call Crime Stoppers of Acadia Parish at 337-789-8477 or Detectives at 337-788-8725.