Driver Arrested for Felony Hit and Run After Pedestrian Killed on I-49 Frontage Road in Carencro

UPDATE: 42-year-old Barrett Coleman has been booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center on one count of felony hit and run after a pedestrian was killed in the early morning of Sunday, April 19, in Carencro.

According to the Carencro Police Department, officers responded around 8 a.m. to the 3400 block of NW Evangeline Thruway. Upon arrival, they located a deceased white male in the grass median that had been covered with a blue tarp. Through the investigation, officers learned the pedestrian was walking north along the Frontage Road while wrapped in a blue tarp due to the weather when he was struck by a vehicle traveling north on the frontage road.

Officers learned that the driver of the vehicle, who is alleged to have been Coleman, later returned to the scene of the crash but did not render any aid and drove off. He then returned to the scene a second time and again failed to render aid or contact 911.

With the assistance of the Real Time Crime Center and the Lafayette Police Department, officers were able to locate the vehicle and driver in Lafayette, and he was taken into custody.

CARENCRO, La. (KPEL-FM) - One person is dead in Carencro after being struck by a vehicle in the early hours of Sunday, April 19, 2026.

Pedestrian Struck and Killed on I-49 Near Tractor Supply Around 3 a.m.

According to Carencro Chief of Police David Anderson, a pedestrian was struck around 3 a.m. on I-49 near the Tractor Supply.

Get our free mobile app

Witnesses on Social Media Describe Scene Along I-49 Frontage Road

Several commenters on the Life in Carencro - Carencro, Louisiana Facebook group gave descriptions of what they witnessed, including a body being covered up by a tarp in the ditch along the I-49 Frontage Road.

READ MORE: Eight Children Killed in Shreveport Mass Shooting, Suspect Dead After Police Chase

The body has since been removed from the ditch, according to Anderson, but the deceased person's name has not yet been released, pending notification of next-of-kin. No further information regarding this case was released as this remains an open investigation.

Chief Anderson: Multiple Pedestrians Have Been Struck on I-49 in Carencro

Chief Anderson also noted that multiple people have been struck in recent years while walking along or trying to cross I-49 in the Carencro area. While it is technically illegal to cross an interstate on foot, Anderson said many people walk from the West side of town to the East side of the interstate to go to Walmart, Super 1 Foods, and other shopping destinations, and others head that way for work.

Carencro Police Pushing DOTD for Lighting Between Connoly Road and Gloria Switch Road

Anderson said he is contacting the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) to add lighting along the interstate and frontage roads between Hector Connoly Road and Gloria Switch Road, with the hope that these additions will improve pedestrian visibility to drivers.

This is a developing story. If and when new information is released, we will provide an update.