Authorities are searching for a Louisiana inmate who pepper sprayed officer to escape custody during a medical transport on Sunday.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is searching for convicted murderer Leon Ruffin, who is described as a black male, bald, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall and 270 pounds.
His current whereabouts are unknown. It is considered that Ruffin is armed and dangerous and the public is urged to report any information regarding its location to authorities, Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said at a news conference Sunday night.
The man had been in custody since July on multiple charges, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to life imprisonmentaccording to Fox News.
Lopinto said Ruffin was transported from Ochsner Medical Center at 2500 Belle Chasse Highway to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center around 6:40 p.m. after being treated for a seizure.
During the transfer, Ruffin disrupted the transport by creating a disturbance, causing the agent escorting him to exit the vehicle. When the officer opened the door, the man used pepper spray on him, assaulted him and stole the vehicle.
The officer responded by firing his weapon several times at Ruffin, although it is unclear if any of the shots hit him.
It’s also unclear where Ruffin found the pepper spray.since the agent still had his spray after the attack, according to Lopinto.
Ruffin fled the scene in the marked Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office vehicle with identification number GO68 and license plate 239626.
The abandoned police vehicle was found in the Algiers neighborhood around 9:20 pm, but Ruffin was not located in the area.
The sheriff’s office is working with other agencies to locate Ruffin.
This incident remains under investigation.
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