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Newly-released body cam footage from night of fiery BRPD unit crash raises questions about Zachary PD's investigation

1 hour 55 minutes 11 seconds ago Thursday, July 10 2025 Jul 10, 2025 July 10, 2025 9:53 PM July 10, 2025 in News
Source: WBRZ

ZACHARY - Newly-obtained body camera footage from the night Baton Rouge Police officer Loren Gaskin totaled his unmarked police unit in a head-on collision in Zachary raises many questions about the investigation into the fiery crash.

The WBRZ Investigative Unit previously uncovered that Gaskin had tested above the legal limit for alcohol at the time of the wreck, which happened in Zachary on March 16. 

A crash report released by the Zachary Police Department shows that Gaskin was not cited for being under the influence, despite cans of alcohol falling from his vehicle after the crash.

After requesting and receiving body camera footage from the responding officers, the WBRZ Investigative Unit discovered that no testing was done on Gaskin despite apparent suspicions by multiple officers. 

In the days following the crash, we went to ZPD to ask whether investigators believe Gaskin had been drinking. We spoke to Cpt. White, who said responding officers only suspected alcohol use on the part of the other driver, not Gaskin. 

In the official crash report Gaskin's suspected alcohol use is listed as "unknown.”

Throughout the body camera video, which Zachary Police blurred and selectively muted before releasing for "privacy" reasons, multiple officers comment on the cans of alcohol that were in the unmarked BRPD unit before the wreck. 

"What vehicle did all this Twisted Tea come out of?"
"This one. He pushed all this stuff out."

"What is that?"
"Liquor - Amsterdam."
"When I pulled up, he was in the back pulling stuff along with some Twisted Teas and a thing of Amsterdam down there along with some Listerine."

Even though multiple officers discuss the alcohol among themselves, Gaskin is only asked about it once while he's being checked out in the ambulance. 

An officer asked if Gaskin had been drinking. 

"Anything to drink tonight? 
(repeats) Anything to drink tonight?
.....
"About to be. Yes," says Gaskin.
"I understand,” the officer replied.

In the video we received, at no point does anyone ask Gaskin about the alcohol that was in his unit.

Two hours later, under the direction of Baton Rouge Police, Gaskin does a breath test at a medical testing facility. His results are 0.104% and 0.097%. The legal limit to drive in Louisiana is 0.08%. 

We're told this is standard procedure for officers involved in a crash. 

However, because the test was compulsory as a condition of his employment as a police officer, those results can't be used for criminal charges. In order for that to have happened, Zachary would have needed to do their own testing. No alcohol-related tests are done on scene. 

As a result of the wreck, Gaskin was disciplined by BRPD, receiving a 40-day suspension, six months without a unit, and one year of increased drug and alcohol testing. 

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