Authorities said Kentrell Sanders jumped into Lake Pontchartrain after a stolen truck ran out of gas.
NEW ORLEANS, LA — A 45-year-old Napoleonville man accused in a string of violent crimes was rescued Wednesday from Lake Pontchartrain after authorities said he jumped from the southbound Causeway Bridge while trying to avoid arrest.
Kentrell Tremaine Sanders was taken into custody after the rescue, which stopped southbound traffic on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway for more than an hour. Authorities said the case began with reported violence in Assumption Parish, continued through stolen vehicle investigations across multiple parishes and ended near the middle of the bridge linking Mandeville and the New Orleans area.
Officials said the morning began around 6 a.m. in Assumption Parish, where a man arrived at a hospital with serious injuries from multiple stab wounds to the head. Deputies said the victim told investigators he woke up to find Sanders standing over him and stabbing him. Authorities also said Sanders later attacked another person with a screwdriver or ice pick before stealing vehicles. Carlton Dufrechou, general manager of the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission, said the bridge incident capped a fast-moving series of calls. “It was quite a morning,” Dufrechou said.
The pursuit moved across parish lines after deputies found a stolen white truck near Airline Highway and Louisiana Highway 42 at about 8:39 a.m., officials said. Deputies said the chase entered East Baton Rouge Parish and was ended about five minutes later near Airline Highway and Sherwood Forest Boulevard. The truck later turned up on the north shore, where Mandeville police said Sanders drove to the Discount Zone gas station near Louisiana Highway 22 and the West Causeway Approach. Police said he tried to carjack a Southeastern Louisiana University student who was pumping gas. The victim fought him off, and Sanders continued south onto the bridge in the white Dodge Ram, authorities said.
The truck made it about 10 miles toward New Orleans before it ran out of gas on the Causeway, officials said. Causeway police first approached as if they were helping a stranded driver, but officers learned the truck had been reported stolen. Mandeville Police Sgt. Timothy McJunkin said the driver jumped into the lake after seeing officers. “The white truck ran out of gas as it was crossing the bridge and Causeway PD got out with it,” McJunkin said. “Upon seeing the police officers, the suspect jumped over the bridge into the water.” The jump turned the arrest call into a rescue in open water.
Southbound lanes were closed at 10:46 a.m. as Causeway police, bridge crews and other agencies responded. Officials said Sanders stayed in Lake Pontchartrain for nearly 30 minutes and at first refused to get into a rescue basket. The U.S. Coast Guard and deputies from Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes assisted, authorities said. Sanders was pulled from the water around 11:20 a.m. and loaded into an ambulance after being brought back onto the bridge. Southbound traffic reopened shortly before noon.
Dufrechou said officers tried to de-escalate the encounter before Sanders went over the bridge rail. He said the suspect was tired by the time he agreed to enter the rescue basket. “At that point, it turns into a rescue for us,” Dufrechou said. Video from the scene showed emergency crews gathered on the span and a rescue response below the bridge. Authorities did not immediately release the suspect’s medical condition after he was taken to a Southshore hospital.
Sanders faces charges tied to several parts of the alleged crime spree. Authorities said he faces counts including attempted second-degree murder, home invasion, aggravated battery and carjacking. Mandeville police said they were seeking an arrest warrant for attempted carjacking, theft and simple battery. Assumption Parish officials also expected an additional count related to a second vehicle allegedly stolen there. It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether Sanders had an attorney or when his first court appearance would be scheduled.
Police described the sequence as dangerous for victims, drivers and responders. McJunkin said the suspect was accused of “a very egregious series of felonies” and called the arrest a public safety benefit. The bridge closure caused major delays for drivers heading to the Southshore, but officials said all lanes reopened after the rescue and investigation at the scene. The case remained active Wednesday as agencies in Assumption, Ascension, St. Tammany, Jefferson and East Baton Rouge parishes reviewed their parts of the investigation.
Sanders was in custody Wednesday after his rescue from Lake Pontchartrain. Authorities said the next steps include hospital clearance, booking and arrest warrants tied to the alleged stabbings, stolen vehicles and failed Mandeville carjacking.
Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.