A New Iberia man accused of forcing a city magistrate off the road because he was angry over a traffic matter has been sentenced to 35 years in prison.
The incident happened on June 16, 2020 when Ryan Hargrave allegedly followed the Delcambre Mayor’s Court Magistrate from his office and forced the magistrate to stop his vehicle.
According to a release from the 16th Judicial District Attorney, Hargrave—who was wearing body armor—got out of his vehicle and pointed a gun at the magistrate. Fortunately, the Abbeville City Marshal happened to witness the incident and intervened. Hargrave pointed his gun at the City Marshal and fled.
A multi-parish vehicle pursuit ensued, during which Hargrave called 9-1-1 and told communications officers he would not go to jail alive.
Eventually, the pursuit ended at Hargrave’s home in New Iberia. Hargrave again pointed at handgun at a New Iberia Police Department Officer, who fired at Hargrave.
Hargrave got out of his vehicle and shot at several New Iberia Police officers and Iberia Parish Sheriff’s deputies, who returned fire. Hargrave received several non-life threatening injuries during the confrontation and received medical treatment after he was taken into custody.
On July 15, 2024, Hargrave pled “no contest” to two counts of attempted first degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault on a peace officer.
He faced 10 to 50 years for the attempted first-degree murder charge, and one to 10 years for the aggravated assault charge.
On December 9, 2024, a sentencing hearing was held before the Hon. Vincent Borne. After hearing testimony from the officers and considering the facts of the matter, Judge Borne sentenced Hargrave to thirty-five years at hard labor for each count of attempted first degree murder and ten years at hard labor for each count of aggravated assault on a peace officer, all to run concurrently - or, at the same time.
“Mr. Hargrave’s reckless behavior endangered not only the public but also the law enforcement officers who apprehended him. Law enforcement encounters such dangerous and life-threatening situations such as this one far more often than they should. As always, I appreciate the courage and professionalism shown by our law enforcement partners in responding to this dangerous incident," said District Attorney Bo Duhé.
Assistant District Attorney Ashley Hammons prosecuted the case.
The Louisiana State Police investigated the Iberia Parish portion of this incident, with assistance from multiple other agencies including the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Abbeville Police Department, the Abbeville Marshal’s Office, and the Kaplan Police Department.
