Baton Rouge police have arrested a Mandeville man who turned himself in following a deadly hit-and-run near the LSU campus, officials said Wednesday.
Walter Andrew Brister IV, 21, surrendered after fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run on Ben Hur Road that killed 44-year-old Jude Jarreau late Saturday, according to police spokesman Lt. Don Coppola Jr.
Police believe Brister was driving a Range Rover that struck Jarreau while Jarreau was crossing the road. Jarreau died at the scene. The driver fled before police arrived.
John McLindon, Brister's attorney, said Wednesday that as soon as his client "figured out somebody had been hit and died" on Sunday morning, he called his father, who contacted a lawyer, who got in touch with McLindon.
Brister's father is Walter Andrew "Bubby" Brister III, a former NFL quarterback, records show.
"I was on the phone with Hillar Moore Sunday," McLindon said. "I said we’re not running, we’re not hiding, we want to self-surrender. He put me in touch with BRPD."
Moore, the East Baton Rouge District Attorney, said Wednesday that McLindon had called him Sunday to ask him who was working on the case. McClendon said he subsequently worked with police to schedule a day for self-surrender, and Wednesday morning was the "best day for everyone."
"The police officers were very professional about how they handled the whole thing," McClendon said.
Brister will be booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on felony hit and run driving, Coppola said. If convicted of the charge, Brister could face up to 10 years in prison.