Pair who pretended to be BRPD, stole dump truck at gunpoint, claim it was a prank

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BATON ROUGE — Two men were arrested for pretending to be law enforcement and stealing a dump truck at gunpoint, according to the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.

The incident happened around 12:58 p.m. Wednesday near North Flannery Road at Shamrock Drive.

According to deputies, the victim was an employee of Silverback Logistics, based in Covington. He had picked up a load and was heading to Waskey at 2651 N. Flannery Road when he noticed blue flashing lights on what he thought was a dark-colored Chevrolet Tahoe.

Thinking it was a law enforcement vehicle, the victim pulled over and got out of his dump truck. As he walked toward the vehicle, he realized it was a GMC, not a Tahoe.

A man later identified as Carnealius Burrell approached him wearing a collared shirt and dress shoes. Burrell began questioning the victim about the dump truck's paperwork and told him to stand behind it. When the victim started questioning the legitimacy of the stop, Burrell pulled out what appeared to be a small black handgun and told the victim to get back. The victim stepped away and Burrell drove off in the dump truck, with a second man later identified as Corliss Franklin following behind him in the GMC.

Deputies stopped Franklin at the intersection of Oak Villa Boulevard and Greenwell Springs Road at around 1:08 p.m. He was the only person in a GMC that was later confirmed to be stolen. Both men were taken into custody.

After being read his rights, Burrell told deputies the whole thing was a prank and that he never intended for anyone to get hurt. He said he planned to return the dump truck.

Both men were transported to the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison and booked with first-degree robbery and fraudulent portrayal of a police officer.

No firearm was found, though a holster was recovered. The investigation is ongoing.

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