Sergeant Grant J. Candies - St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office - Louisiana
On March 23, 2025, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Sergeant Grant J. Candies, was assisting with a fleeing suspect by deploying spike strips in an attempt to end the fleeing suspect's attempt to evade police.
Prior to this, another deputy had attempted to stop a vehicle that was driving recklessly and had no tags. The driver of this vehicle refused to stop and continued driving 85-90 m.p.h. while swerving on the roads. Due to the recklessness of the driver, a pursuit was started. Just after midnight, Sergeant Grand Candies attempt to assist in stopping the pursuit by deploying spike strips. While doing so, the suspect vehicle struck and killed Sgt. Candies.
The driver, and other occupants of the vehicle, continued fleeing. All of the occupants turned out to be juveniles. The pursuit continued until it crashed into a New Orleans Police Department squad. The officer in this squad was injured and treated at a nearby hospital. The officer had non-life threatening injuries.
All of the occupants were captured. The driver was charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated flight. Two other juveniles have been charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder.
Sergeant Grant Candies was 37-years-old and had served with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office for nine years. Prior to that, he was a United States Marine. In 2023, Sgt. Candies saved two lives and was name St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Deputy of the Year. He is survived by his wife and two children, as well as his parents and four siblings.
As part of our "Plaques for Heroes" campaign, engraved slate memorial plaques were sent to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office and to Candies' family at no cost to honor his service and his sacrifice to the community of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana.
