Lafayette Police Officer Involved in Parking Lot Chase

(Lafayette, Louisiana) - As temperatures dropped early Monday morning in Lafayette, the wind out of the north was gusting 20-30 mph, and anything not tied down was on the move.

A strong cold front swept into Acadiana to start the final week of 2025, and wind advisories were issued for much of south Louisiana. The wind was so strong in some parts of South Louisiana on Monday morning that many in the New Orleans area were left without power as the electrical system in the Crescent City was pounded.

While we did not have power issues in Lafayette on Monday morning, the wind was fierce, and all you had to do was witness shopping carts flying across parking lots to confirm just how strong it was as we started the new week.

Early Monday morning, I had to return to the grocery store to pick up what I had forgotten the day prior, and as I walked into the store, I noticed that there were several shopping carts scattered in the parking lot. By the time I exited the store, many were on the move as the north wind was whipping through the store's parking lot.

Well, when I drove into the Super 1 parking lot on Ambassador Caffery, I noticed a Lafayette Police unit parked there, with an officer inside. I assume the officer was monitoring the property near the store or catching up on reports, but what the officer probably did not prepare for was the chase he or she was about to join.

As shopping carts raced across the Super 1 Foods parking lot, the officer noticed them and took chase. Yes, the officer who was parked in the store's parking lot took off after a shopping cart went rogue and returned it to a safe station, where shopping carts belong.

The most impressive thing about all of this was the Lafayette Police officer escorting the shopping cart with one hand as they drove the unit across the empty lot.

To whoever that officer was, I say thank you for going beyond the call of duty and securing the shopping cart before it damaged any of the few vehicles parked. And secondly, I must say, I was very impressed with the officer's driving skills as they returned the cart.

Temperatures will continue to drop to start the week in south Louisiana, and you should prepare for below-freezing temperatures by Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. Wind chills in Acadiana will be in the lower 20s.

Remember, when you don't return shopping carts to secure stations in parking lots, they can become projectiles that damage property or injure people as they fly across the lot. So, remember to always return shopping carts to the store or to the stations, where they can not get loose when the wind picks up in your area.