Employees at a Louisiana Dollar General recognized a murder suspect and locked him inside the store until authorities arrived.
Neil Broussard, 51, was arrested for allegedly killing Kaleb Charlton, 18, and Kyla Hidalgo, 17; wounding the teen’s mother, Catherine Hidalgo, 40; and kidnapping Catherine Hidalgo’s 14-year-old daughter Wednesday morning, KPLC reported.
Authorities found the 14-year-old girl at 6:45 a.m. Wednesday, but the search continued for Broussard.
The Dollar General workers recognized Broussard, who is a registered sex-offender, and locked him inside the store after escorting other customers outside of the store.
The employees, Sallye Salter and Tiffany Cook, called the authorities telling them he was locked inside the Ragley, Louisiana, store.
“We were so close we got there within seconds and were able to apprehend him without any incidents,” Calcasieu Parish Sheriff Tony Mancuso told the American Press.
Authorities took Broussard into custody and charged him with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and second-degree kidnapping. His bond was set at $4 million.
The Beauregard Sheriff’s Office called out Salter and Cook on Facebook for their bravery in apprehending Broussard before the authorities arrived.
“Sheriff Herford would like to extend gratitude to the employees at Dollar General in Ragley La. for their bravery, instinctive thinking, and selflessness to themselves and to their community,” the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.
“Thank you Sallye Salter and Tiffany Cook, you both exemplified great character in a high pressure situation. Sheriff Herford, Sheriff Mancuso, and our Ragley community sincerely thank you for your actions this morning in helping us end the search for fugitive Neil P. Broussard,” the statement continued.