For a while, it appeared a Baton Rouge police officer had managed to walk away from a devastating crash that nearly killed a Black bicyclist — another incident quietly buried behind blurry body camera footage and a department seemingly eager to move on.
But as it turns out, the officer who once bragged about avoiding consequences may have badly miscalculated how quickly one reckless act can start unraveling everything.
That earlier incident involved the Baton Rouge Police Department releasing body camera footage to local media of an officer driving 83 mph in a 25 mph zone while looking at his phone before striking a Black man riding a bicycle, leaving him with a traumatic brain injury.
The video itself was heavily blurred and contained little usable visual detail, making it nearly impossible to clearly see what had taken place shortly after midnight on March 16, 2025, when the crash nearly killed Dwayne “DeDe” Washington.
It was only after WBRZ-TV’s lawyers intervened and pushed back under the public‑records law did police hand over a clear version that showed without a doubt that Baton Rouge Police Officer Stefan Jones was speeding and looking at his phone before the crash.
“The bike was pretty much split in half and my cousin is in critical condition in the ICU fighting for his life,” said his cousin shortly after the incident in a video posted to Instagram where she was trying to get the media to report on the incident.
Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed against Jones and the Baton Rogue Police Department, accusing the cop of negligent and reckless driving, and the department of negligent hiring, training and supervision.
According to a press release issued by Washington’s attorneys from the Hills Daniels & Associates law firm in Louisiana.
The officer who was driving distracted and looking at his cellular phone was traveling approximately 83 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone just seconds before the impact, without ever engaging his vehicle’s sirens.
Miraculously, Mr. Washington survived, but sustained serious injuries and continues to suffer damages and losses as a result of the collision.
He endured numerous surgeries and months in the hospital and rehabilitation centers, required around-the-clock care once at home, and had to learn to walk again. His life will never be the same.
Mr. Washington’s medical bills currently exceed nearly $500,000.00 and he still requires further treatment and recovery.
The crash left Washington dependent for survival on his mother, who had to quit her job to take care of her son.
Washington remained hospitalized for four months after the incident with a brain bleed and multiple shattered bones, and had to undergo multiple surgeries.
“If I would have hit somebody like that, I think I’d be in jail,” his mother Debbie Washington told WAFB.
“My world just fell apart because I had to quit my job, you know, because the doctor said he needed 24-hour care,”
When Things Began to Fall Apart
Police cleared Jones of any wrongdoing by placing the blame on Washington, accusing him of running a red light on his bicycle — which was when he was struck by the speeding distracted cop driving more than three times the posted speed limit.
Jones, who already had a history of disciplinary action against him, was then arrested on Dec. 30 on misdemeanor sexual battery charges after he was caught on surveillance video grabbing the buttocks of a female convenience store employee.
“BRPD has a long history of negligently injuring and killing bicyclists and pedestrians, especially in underserved areas of Baton Rouge where walking and biking are most prevalent,” states the press release issued by his attorneys.
“Just one month before this near-fatal crash, another BRPD unit struck a pedestrian on Florida Blvd. In recent years, at least five other people have been maimed or killed by BRPD officers in their police units who were speeding.”
‘This is Funny ASF’
Jones’s history of disciplinary action began almost immediately after he was hired.
In 2019, he received a 12-day suspension after he was caught on his own body camera threatening a group of intoxicated college students with a Taser, local media reported.
In 2021, Jones received a four-day suspension after the Army reservist was caught forging a military document in an attempt to obtain paid time off from his job as a cop.
In 2022, he received no disciplinary action against him after he struck an air conditioning unit at a local business with his patrol car before driving off. And he received no disciplinary action against him following the March 2025 crash that nearly killed Washington.
By the time he was arrested for sexual battery in December, Jones figured he would get away with it as he had done in the past and went as far as mocking the situation after local media posted an article about his arrest on social media.
“I’ve been in the news 4-5 times now and every time you always got something to say and somehow I beat every case but no apology,” he wrote. “So yes, this is funny ASF.”
But Jones is probably no longer laughing now that he’s out of a job and facing a lawsuit.
