Still no sign of man who jumped into river

There is still no sign of a man who authorities say jumped into the Mississippi River to avoid capture after a deputy chased him through a business area and to a river pier.

The man is thought to be 29-year-old Brian Reed, the brother of Baltimore Ravens All-Pro safety Ed Reed. Sgt. Dwayne LaGrange, a spokesman for the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office, said that authorities would have to find a body before determining whether or not the man who jumped into the river is Brian.

“Right now it’s a wait and see. We’re uncertain when the missing person’s body will be recovered,” LaGrange said. “The Mississippi is unforgiving to many who come in close contact with it.”

LaGrange did say that Brian Reed’s family has reported him missing.

Karen Reed, Brian’s mother, told WWL that her son has had problems with drugs and alcohol in the past.

The incident began at about 10 a.m. on Friday when a deputy was flagged down by a motorist who said that a vehicle was driving erratically and had almost run him off the road. The deputy came across the car and its driver in St. Rose and was told by the driver that his vehicle had run out of gas, LaGrange said.

The officer couldn’t transport the man anywhere to retrieve gas because he did not have any identification.

When the deputy offered to call someone for help, the man refused, LaGrange said. After the deputy drove off, he received a call about a stolen vehicle, which matched the description of the car he had just left. The deputy turned around, found the man in the same location and again asked him for ID.

“The man told the deputy that he didn’t have ID so the deputy asked him to put his hands where he could see them,” LaGrange said. “That’s when the man fled.”

LaGrange said the deputy chased the man on foot through a business area and over the levee near the St. Charles-Jefferson Parish line. The man ran along the batture near the river, and appears to have entered the water on the side of a pier.

“The deputy didn’t see him enter the water, but he caught sight of the man about 15 feet into the river,” LaGrange said. “He said he saw the man’s head and arms surface and then sink under the water.”

The Coast Guard, the Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Port of South Louisiana then conducted a search of the area but were unable to locate the man. The search was called off late Friday.

Ed Reed, who is from St. Rose and graduated from Destrehan High School, is a star NFL player who is playing his ninth season for the Baltimore Ravens.

Reed recorded four tackles in his team’s 30-7 playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He was awarded the game ball by his teammates after the victory.