State Police released video Tuesday morning that provides evidence on why former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit and run and reckless operation of a vehicle. The video clearly shows Lacy driving at a high rate of speed and passing multiple vehicles in a no-passing zone on LA Highway 20 in Lafourche Parish moments before the driver of a Kia Cadenza, heading northbound, swerved to the left to avoid Lacy’s green Dodge Charger. When the Kia Cadenza swerved to the left, it collided with a southbound Kia Sorrento. When a State Trooper arrived at the crash scene, witnesses immediately identified Lacy’s Green Dodge Charger as the one that caused the wreck.
“Did you see a green Charger flying that way? A Green Charger going that way? It was a green Charger that caused all this. SRT8. He caused all of it. He wanted to pass the cars way back there sir,” a witness told authorities.
Lacy’s car did not make physical contact with the two cars that collided, but a witness said his actions forced the head on crash.
“He was in the car that was in front of her. When that green Charger came, he went and caused this whole big traffic, so everybody went and hit their brakes. This Charger, I thought he hit the gold truck head-on,” the witness said.
During the video, a State Trooper interviews the female driver of the Kia Cadenza who, according to investigators, took evasive action to avoid impact with Lacy’s vehicle.
“I just meant to jerk. I stepped on the brakes. The other car was trying to pass the other car. I was trying to dodge or not hit them by coming around,” the female driver said.
Following the crash, State Police says they conducted a detailed investigation with the assistance of crash reconstruction experts. A state police spokesperson says it was Lacy’s reckless driving that led to the crash in front of his vehicle.
“Through the investigation, troopers determined that the driver of the gold truck reacted appropriately to avoid a head-on collision with the green Charger, which was approaching at a high rate of speed,” the spokesperson explained.
On Friday, Lacy’s attorney, Matthew Ory, appeared on HTV 10 in Houma and released a different camera angle of the crash, which shows Lacy’s vehicle driving through the scene. Based on this video evidence, Ory stated that Lacy did not cause the crash.
Ory also cited a report from the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office, which did their own investigation, which Ory said concluded with the D.A. saying Lacy did not know his actions were the cause of the crash that happened about 72 yards in front of him.
State Police states that their investigative findings were reviewed in consultation with the Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office to determine the appropriate charges, and the 17th Judicial District Court approved an arrest warrant.
“All evidence collected supports the conclusion that Lacy’s reckless operation of the green charger in all common traffic triggered the chain of events involving the other drivers, ultimately resulting in the fatal crash,” authorities stated.
The LSP report says the first phone call Lacy made, based on cell phone records, was to a Baton Rouge criminal defense attorney and personal injury lawyer.
The fatal crash claimed the life of 78-year-old Herman Hall of Thibodaux, Louisiana.
Statement from AG Murrill after State Police releases evidence in deadly Lafourche Parish Crash Involving Kyren Lacy
“The evidence is not disputed here. The Lafourche Parish District Attorney’s Office was prepared to present the case to a grand jury that showed Kyren Lacy returning to his lane. However, that does not absolve Kyren Lacy of responsibility in this matter. Every witness identified the green charger Kyren Lacy was determined to be driving, as having put the events in motion that led to the head-on collision, which killed 78-year-old veteran Herman Hall. The District Attorney appropriately was bringing the matter to a grand jury, so that the grand jury could review the facts and decide the appropriate charges to indict on, if any. I’m continuing to review the entire file from State Police and will release a more detailed statement at the conclusion of that review.”
– Attorney General Liz Murrill
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