http://www.katc.com/global/story.asp?s=6258013
Two bond agents wounded; suspect arrested
LOREAUVILLE, La. Iberia Parish sheriff's deputies have arrested a 27-year-old Loreauville man, who they say shot a pair of bondsmen Monday night when they went to his home to revoke a bail bond.
Iberia Parish Sheriff Sid Hebert says deputies found Arthur Basaldua yesterday hiding in a Laotian community near Coteau and arrested him on two counts of attempted first-degree murder.
One of the bondsmen, 48-year-old Valerie King of Breaux Bridge, was shot three times -- in the thigh, the shoulder and a grazing wound to the forehead. The other bondsman, 56-year-old Eddie Mackenzie of Youngsville, was shot once in the lower back, but refused treatment at the scene.
The chain of events that led to the manhunt for Basaldua began with his recent arrest on a drug charge in Lafayette Parish.
Hebert says Basaldua was released on bond, but was involved during the weekend in a crash in his truck that nearly claimed the life of his girlfriend.
Hebert say that when Basaldua was released from a local hospital on Monday, King and McKenzie were concerned that he might attempt to flee the area and went to his mobile home.
The sheriff says the bondsmen tried to convince him to turn himself back to law enforcement peacefully, and he appeared to be ready to do so. However, he allegedly pulled a .40-caliber handgun.
Hebert says while King and McKenzie tried to run out of the trailer, Basaldua fired several times, hitting King three times and McKenzie once.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
