The suspect arrested after an hours-long standoff in Abbeville Wednesday was wanted in Lafayette.
Demarkus Jamal Johnson, 31, was booked with armed robbery and a parole violation after the incident, Lafayette jail records show.
Lafayette court records show Johnson pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted possession of a firearm by a convicted felon back in 2023. He was sentenced to three years in prison, suspended, and placed on probation for two years. A warrant was issued in July for his arrest for violating that parole; the warrant states he last contacted his probation officer in May.
The armed robbery warrant was issued following a June 26 incident at a business in the 5700 block of Johnston Street. Johnson, a former employee of the business, allegedly held several employees at gunpoint and took some money before fleeing.
According to a spokesperson for the Vermilion Parish Sheriff, the standoff started Wednesday afternoon when deputies and U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force officers confirmed that Johnson was in a house in the 400 block of Schlessinger Street in Abbeville.
Abbeville Police and deputies set up a perimeter for safety, and the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Intelligence Division was able to confirm that Johnson was alone in the house. Deputies and troopers with the Louisiana State Police Negotiations Teams negotiated with him over several hours, in efforts to induce a peaceful surrender.
After a search warrant was issued to go into the house, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team (SRT) then made entry into the residence and attempted to locate and remove Johnson.
But they found that he had lodged himself into a small space between the home's ceiling and roof, and he was stuck. Officers then had to work to rescue Johnson from the crawl space before he hurt himself.
After they were able to remove him from the space, Acadian Ambulance provided first aid and cleared him; the U.S. Marshals took him into custody and he was booked in Lafayette.
According to the sheriff, no officer or citizen sustained any injuries, and the only injuries Johnson sustained were minor and self-inflicted from his efforts to conceal himself.
"Sheriff Eddie Langlinais would like to commend and thank every officer and agency on scene. Sheriff Langlinais also said that this type of apprehension is a daily task for the United States Marshals Service and that his experience with that agency for 24 plus years allows him to fully understand the dangers of this type of apprehension. Sheriff Langlinais praised the unity and teamwork of the various agencies present and hopes that this is just one of many instances of the level of law enforcement collaboration the Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office brings," the release states.
Our team was on the scene for most of the stand-off, to see their story click here.
