This story is another example of just how valuable help from the public can be for police officers.

Around 9:00 a.m. on Friday, deputies with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office answered the call of an armed robbery in progress at a business in the 3700 block of West Pinhook Road in Broussard. Not long after that, the W.D. Smith Career Center about 10 minutes down the road went into a Shelter in Place.

In under an hour, law enforcement say they responded, tracked, located, and apprehended the alleged robber. That suspect  suspect - 34-year-old Wendell Boyance - was taken into custody by 10:02 a.m.

Photo submitted by Lafayette parish sheriff’s office
Photo submitted by Lafayette parish sheriff’s office
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How'd officers catch the suspect so quickly?

Boyance being on foot carrying a stolen cash box from the business allowed residents in the area to call police as the concerned citizens gave deputies location information and a detailed physical description of the suspect, who reportedly had a bat. Even with the LPSO, and Broussard and Lafayette Police Departments, Boyance was able to evade them. But, only for a short time as a Sheriff's K9 Deputy was deployed and was ultimately able to help in capturing him.

Boyance was arrested and being booked into the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center, charged with Armed Robbery.

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