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17-year-old booked in EBR prison for role in car crash in Central Monday afternoon
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CENTRAL - A crash that briefly shut down Central Thruway Monday evening was instigated by drivers attempting a social media challenge, police said.
The crash happened at the intersection of Central Thruway and Frenchtown Road, Central Police said. Drivers reported seeing one of the involved vehicles weaving in and out of traffic as far away as O'Neal Lane before entering the city of Central.
Police said the weaving driver was attempting a "drifting" challenge seen on social media, which involves intentionally oversteering and losing traction on the road.
"He was playing a game that he saw on social media. It's called drifting. Drifting is when you yank your wheel back and forth and make the back end of your vehicle drift or slide, and it loses traction," Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran said.
Gavin Landry, 17, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for his role in a car crash in Central on Monday afternoon. He is being charged with aggravated obstruction of a highway of commerce.
Landry lost control of his vehicle going northbound on Central Throughway, causing it to slide over the median and hit a vehicle going the opposite direction.
Landry's engine then caught on fire, which prompted a response from the local fire department.
"When the first fire truck arrived, they did report that one of the vehicles was on fire. Shortly after that, the rescue truck arrived on scene also, so both trucks were there within just a couple of minutes. The engine company went ahead and extinguished the fire," Central Fire Department Assistant Chief Derek Glover said.
Landry did not get injured during the fire and did not have to go to the hospital. However, the driver of the other car, Michael Hebert, 71, did have to go to the hospital.
Hebert's family told WBRZ he is now out of the hospital and at home. They were told that if Landry had not swerved more to the left before the crash, the crash could have likely killed Hebert.
"While this wreck wasn't the parent's fault, the parents need to watch what their kids are doing and are watching on social media. And I know they're 17, they're an adult, but they're driving their vehicle. They need to sit them down and pay attention," Corcoran said.
The cars were towed to a nearby car care center on Hooper Road. The wreck totaled them.
Obstructing a highway of commerce can result in a fine or jail time, depending on the severity of the offense.
No one was seriously injured in the crash.
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