Baton Rouge Officer Accused of Distracted Driving in High-Speed Crash with Cyclist
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A newly released body camera video has ignited controversy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, revealing that a police officer appeared to be holding a cell phone moments before colliding with a cyclist in March 2025. The incident,which left the cyclist with severe injuries,is now under renewed scrutiny following the video’s release by the WAFB I-TEAM.
High Speed and Potential distraction
Officer Stefan Jones was traveling at 83 miles per hour – more than three times the 25 mph speed limit – when he struck Dede Washington near the McKinley Alumni Center on Louise Street. Jones was responding to a call for assistance from another officer at the time of the crash. The body camera footage, initially blurred by Baton Rouge police lawyers, shows a bright object in Jones’s hand immediately before the impact. Sources within the Baton Rouge Police Department (BRPD) who viewed the unblurred video confirmed to the I-TEAM that the object was a cell phone.
“Oh f***! 5-2 headquarters, I got into a crash. I need EMS code 3,” Jones is heard saying on the footage, appearing visibly shaken. The video also appears to show Jones still clutching the phone in his hand after the collision.
cyclist’s Devastating Injuries and Family’s Plea
Washington sustained significant injuries in the crash, requiring three months of hospitalization and extensive reconstructive surgery. Doctors repaired numerous broken bones, and his family reports he now suffers from cognitive delays due to a brain injury sustained in the wreck.
“He had broke my hip. And my pelvis. And I had… I had… I was kind of bleeding on the brain, too. I had surgery on there,” Washington recounted.
Debbie Washington, the cyclist’s mother and now his primary caregiver, is demanding accountability. “He don’t need to be a police officer, as he playing with people’s lives out here. And just like I say, he coudl have killed my child. its like all a joke to him, but it’s not. Kill my child fighting for his life. And he’s suffering for a long time. And still suffering.And still suffering,” she stated.
Conflicting Reports and Legal Challenges
Despite the new video evidence, BRPD investigators initially determined that Washington was at fault for the crash, citing that he was wearing dark clothing and allegedly ran a red light. This determination has been fiercely contested by Washington’s attorney, Meghan Matt.
“It is indeed clearly right in front of his body camera.He’s clearly scrolling as he’s driving, and of course, he’s driving 83 miles an hour,” Matt asserted after viewing the video. She believes Jones should face criminal charges and criticized the department for failing to include the information about the cell phone in their initial report. “As with this entire event itself, anybody else that would have hit somebody now we know looking at a phone and would have been likely arrested, but BRPD didn’t even put it in their report that he was on the phone, even though they’ve had this information the entire time.”
The department stated it showed the crash video to Washington’s family after the incident, but the family maintains they never saw the body camera footage. BRPD has not yet responded to inquiries regarding whether the new video will prompt a re-evaluation of the case.
Officer’s Troubled History
This incident is not isolated. The I-TEAM previously reported that Officer Jones has a history of disciplinary issues within the BRPD. He received reprimands in 2020 and 2022 for brandishing a firearm at bystanders and for falsifying military orders. More recently, in December, he was cited for sexual battery after allegedly touching a woman inappropriately at a gas station. An internal affairs inquiry into the sexual battery allegation is currently ongoing.
The officer faced no disciplinary action following the crash with the cyclist.
The case continues to develop as calls for a thorough and impartial investigation intensify.
