๐ ๐ ๐ Prayers for Sgt. Eisworth! ๐ ๐ ๐
๐๐ฅ๐ฃ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ถ๐-๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ-๐ฅ๐๐ป; ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ
This morning at approximately 11:04 a.m., East Baton Rouge Sheriffโs deputies responded to a hit-and-run incident involving a Baton Rouge Police Motor Division Officer near the intersection of Joor Road and Prescott Road.
The officer, identified as Sgt. Caleb Eisworth, a 23-year veteran of the Baton Rouge Police Department, was on his way to a work-related escort assignment when he was traveling northbound on Joor Road near the Prescott intersection. The suspect vehicle followed him for a short distance before striking him with his truck and fleeing the area.
Deputies from the East Baton Rouge Sheriffโs Office, working in coordination with BRPD and other responding agencies, located the suspectโs vehicle in the Monticello subdivision and apprehended the suspect near the 8400 block of Airline Highway at approximately 12:30 this afternoon.
Based on preliminary information, detectives believe this incident was intentional. Gad Black (DOB 1/5/1984) will be charged with Attempted First Degree Murder of a Police Officer. Additional charges are currently pending as the investigation continues. (No photo currently available.)
Sgt. Eisworth remains in critical condition.
Mayor-President Sid Edwards and Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse were both briefed on the incident and remain in close contact with responding agencies.
โTodayโs senseless act of violence against our Baton Rouge Police Officer is absolutely unacceptable. This behavior against law enforcement Officers will not be tolerated and will result in the highest appropriate criminal charges and enforcement.
Thank you to the citizens of Baton Rouge that cried out for help, calling 911 on behalf of Officer Eisworth after witnessing him being targeted and attacked while simply doing his job, proudly serving our community.
With a heavy heart, Iโm calling on all of Baton Rouge to join our Department in lifting our Officer and his family up in prayer, as he needs and deserves each and every one. Our entire department is rallying behind his health at this time.
Making it home after each shift is what I pray over every one of my Officers each day. Iโm asking everyone to join me in that prayer now. Letโs fervently pray Officer Eisworth back home to his loved ones,โ said BRPD Police Chief T.J. Morse.
East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux issued the following statement:
โThis was a deliberate and cowardly attack on an officerโone of our communityโs protectorsโand it strikes at the very heart of public safety. Sgt. Eisworth is a dedicated public servant who has spent over two decades protecting this city, and he was targeted while simply doing his job. We are outraged by this senseless act of violence and fully committed to ensuring the individual responsible is held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
I want Sgt. Eisworthโs family, his BRPD family, and all of East Baton Rouge Parish to know that we are standing with and praying for you. I ask this entire community to lift him up with the same strength and support that he has shown us through years of faithful service.
I also want to commend our deputies and the responding agencies for their swift coordination and outstanding work in bringing the suspect into custody so quickly. In moments like these, it becomes clear how essential unity is in law enforcementโand how deeply committed we all are to protecting one another and the people we serve.
Let me be clear: any targeted violence against a law enforcement officer will never be tolerated. It will be investigated aggressively, prosecuted thoroughly, and condemned without hesitation.โ
โTodayโs incident is a sobering reminder of the dangers law enforcement officers face every day in the line of duty to protect and serve our community. Our administration is keeping the injured officer, his family, and the entire BRPD family in our thoughts and prayers,โ said Mayor-President Sid Edwards.
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the East Baton Rouge Sheriffโs Office at (225) 389-5000.
This investigation is ongoing. Updates will be provided as they become available.
