A 29-year-old Baton Rouge man who broke his ex-girlfriend's windshield with his fist, climbed in her car and chased her to a Jefferson Highway gas station led East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputies on a winding, high-speed chase down several busy thoroughfares early Sunday morning that ended in an armed standoff at his home.
Deputies were called to a gas station at Jefferson and Floynell Drive after witnesses saw Colby Kendell Williams, of 5142 Sleepy Hollow Drive, screaming and fighting with his ex-girlfriend in the parking lot, according to a Sheriff's Office report.
The woman — who, the report says, was trying to avoid Williams and had a protective order issued against him — had just gotten a ride home from a friend and was climbing into her car when Williams attacked, breaking the windshield with his fist and forcing his way into the car. The woman abandoned her car in the middle of Jefferson Highway in a bid to get away from Williams, asking the attendants at the station to dial 911.
As sheriff's deputies pulled up to the gas station, Williams sped away from them down Jefferson Highway, then pulled a U-turn and tore back through the gas station parking lot, the report says. He apparently tried to run over witnesses to the earlier incident who had to dive out of the way to avoid his vehicle.
Williams then pulled back onto Jefferson Highway, hurtling down the roadway at roughly 115 mph, the report says.
The winding chase then turned onto Airline Highway, continued on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard and on to Coursey Boulevard, where deputies gave up the chase out of concern for public safety, according to the report.
Later that morning — the report doesn't specify exactly when — deputies found Williams barricaded inside his home, sitting on top of the stairs with a handgun to his head, the report says. He ignored repeated orders from deputies to come out of the home but eventually gave himself up.
At the time of his arrest, Williams was on bail for an Aug. 25 attack on the same woman, during which he allegedly kicked in the door of her home, tried to force her to show him the contents of her phone, punched her several times and threatened her with a handgun. In that incident, deputies obtained an arrest warrant for Williams on counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated residential burglary, false imprisonment while armed with a dangerous weapon, simple battery and simple criminal damage to property.
He was also arrested in March by Baton Rouge city police on misdemeanor counts of stalking and improper telephone communication after officers found he'd called a woman dozens of times, repeatedly shown up to her house, left notes on her door and vehicle, and regularly drove past her residence. It wasn't clear from court records if the victim in that case is the same as in the other two cases.
Following Williams' arrest Sunday morning, he was booked into Parish Prison on three counts of aggravated assault, one count each of aggravated flight from an officer, violating a protective order, criminal trespass, criminal damage to property, disturbing the peace and a number of traffic offenses.
He remained in jail without a set bail Sunday night.