Father accused of fleeing from police at high speed with two young children in vehicle, authorities say

OPELOUSAS, La. () — A man is accused of speeding off and driving down the wrong side of a one-way street with two children in his vehicle when attempting to flee from police, according to the Opelousas Police Department .

According to a news release issued Tuesday, Christopher Ron Smith Jr. faces charges of aggravated flight from an officer, improper display of a license, and child endangerment.

Smith also faces an outstanding bench warrant for an aggravated flight from an officer charge that stems from an earlier, unrelated incident.

The most recent charges originate from an incident that allegedly occurred Tuesday just before 4 p.m.

Per the news release, an officer saw a vehicle traveling near Julia and Marie Streets with an improperly displayed license plate. Officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the driver refused to comply, police said.

"As the driver began to flee, he increased his speed significantly and drove the wrong way on a one-way street. Due to concerns for public safety, officers made the decision to terminate the pursuit," police said in the news release.

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KLFY Daily Digest An officer in an unmarked unit saw the vehicle outside city limits. The suspect was ultimately found on Crimson Street, where he had pulled into a residential yard, police said.

At the time of Smith's arrest, officers learned Smith had his two young children during the pursuit, according to the news release.

"Subsequent investigation revealed that this was not Smith's first encounter with law enforcement. He had previously led officers on a pursuit just last week, a pursuit that was also terminated for public safety reasons," police said.

The Opelousas Police Department encourages anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us directly.

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