METAIRIE -- Jefferson Parish deputies have arrested a suspect they believe stole a woman's car at gunpoint and then led them on a lengthy police chase that ended in a fiery crash in Jefferson Parish Friday afternoon.
The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Demea McKay of New Orleans. He was found hiding underneath a nearby home. The sheriff's office said that while he was hiding under a raised home, someone saw him move and reported it to the sheriff's office.
According to Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto, the chase started in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 3701 West Napoleon Avenue. A man in a dark hoodie approached a woman with a handgun drawn and demanded her keys. Police say he pushed her to the ground and took her keys, then got in her car and fled the scene.
The woman called police, who spotted the stolen vehicle as they were inbound to the scene. A chase ensued that lasted about 15 minutes and ended on Causeway Boulevard near Jefferson Highway, where the armed man crashed the stolen car and it erupted in flames.
Police say McKay bailed out of the car and took off on foot, jumping several fences to escape police.
A perimeter was set and police searched the neighborhood for close to an hour before finding the suspect hiding under a home a few blocks from the crash scene.
McKay is facing several counts including: armed robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, and felon in possession of a firearm. Other counts regarding the chase are pending.