Police Make Dramatic Arrest on I-10 in Connection With Alleged Rape at Gunpoint in Abbeville
Eyewitnesses were shocked to see police with guns drawn on I-10 in Lafayette as authorities made a dramatic arrest on Sunday (Mar. 19).
As Ashlyn Hanks and friends drove down I-10 near University Ave in Lafayette, they noticed a large police presence in the opposite lanes of the interstate. As they got closer, they realized that multiple agencies had their guns drawn as a compact SUV was stopped in the middle of the interstate.
In a video posted to Hanks' Facebook page, a man could be seen being taken into custody by local authorities.
Later, our KPEL News team would learn that the traffic stop was connected to a separate incident that started in Abbeville. According to their report, a Denham Springs man was been arrested after he allegedly raped his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint in her home in Abbeville.
Officers with the Abbeville Police Department say they responded to the call shortly after 1:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. When they arrived at the home on Schlessinger Street, the victim told that 33-year-old Mathew Scott went to her house with a handgun and sexually attacked her. She ended up consenting to a Rape Kit at Abbeville General Hospital.
Officers then put out a BOLO for Scott and a description of the vehicle he was driving. He was eventually stopped by detectives with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office - who were assisted by State Police - on Interstate 10 before the University Street exit. Scott was then arrested and taken into custody on a warrant for First Degree Rape and False Imprisonment.
Scott now sits in the Vermilion Parish Correctional Facility on a total bond of $200,000.
See the full original report here and we will update this story when more information becomes available.