A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries agent was shot while on patrol in Ouachita Parish Thursday night.
Sgt. Scott Bullitt and another agent stopped a vehicle containing two motorists in the Russell Sage Wildlife Management Area around 7 p.m., according to The Times-Picayune.
Following a short interview, Bullitt believed the occupants to be impaired and walked back to his vehicle. The passenger of the vehicle the officers stopped -- identified as Luke Jarrod Hust -- then shot Bullitt in the lower back.
The other agent returned fire, and Hust escaped into a wooded area.
After radioing for help, the other agent apprehended the driver, who was later brought in for questioning.
Hust was arrested around 11 p.m. following a four-hour manhunt by LDWF agents, State Police, Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office deputies, Monroe police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents.
Bullitt was transported to a hospital where he was listed in serious condition Friday morning. Officials said the 32-year-old agent received the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission DWI Award in March.
"This is a sad day for all wildlife and fisheries agents in the country," Col. Joey Broussard, head of the LDWF Enforcement Division said. "Our agents travel into remote areas patrolling public lands often, and it can be a very dangerous task, as we saw tonight. My thoughts at this time are with Sgt. Bullitt and his family and also the brave men and women that contributed to catching the shooter."
The incident is currently under investigation.
