By james art 
BATON ROUGE – Two people were shot by a police officer at the end of a seven-mile chase that ran from Chippewa Street to a neighborhood off College Drive.
State police said officers with the Department of Public Safety’s Capitol Detail attempted to pull over a white Chippewa Suburban near Daisy Avenue after a traffic violation around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. After traveling on Interstate 110 and I-10, the vehicle exited College Drive and crashed into a Bawell Street neighborhood around 8:45 p.m.
State police said the driver, 33-year-old Tyler Pugh, crashed into an officer’s unit and then accelerated toward the trooper before shots were fired.
State police said two of the three people in the vehicle were hit by gunfire, including Pugh. After being treated for minor injuries, he was taken to Parish Prison. The other person shot was taken from the scene in serious condition and is still in hospital. The third passenger was uninjured.
The LSP said the employee has been placed on administrative leave. There are additional charges for the driver and passengers.
Court documents show Pugh has been arrested more than a dozen times in East Baton Rouge Parish. In 2022, he was indicted on four drug sales charges and pleaded guilty to one count. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, which were suspended, and placed on three years of active probation by Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts.
Three months later, on May 19, a bench warrant was filed when Pugh failed to appear in court. On May 29, he was accused of shooting a woman in the abdomen and hitting a car with gunfire. Pugh was arrested the next day for unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated criminal damage to property. He bailed on June 19, 2023 in Judge Tarvald Smith’s court and was ordered to sign up for an ankle monitoring service.
Pugh’s probation officer from the drug conviction has twice asked the court to put Pugh back into custody — once in September 2023 and again in February 2024. The filings say the new arrest violates the terms of his probation, which includes remaining in custody or release from sentences. A probation revocation hearing was held and a court order entered.
Court records show Pugh has made all of his court dates related to the shooting arrest. The ankle monitoring company, Criminal Tracking Service LLC., said Pugh keeps his bracelet charged. Pugh was most recently in court on Aug. 22 for a motion hearing and was scheduled to appear again on Nov. 19.
State police said Pugh was taken into custody and arrested for outstanding warrants. WBRZ is working to find out the details of these allegations.