SLIDELL — A St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office Sergeant was killed in the line of duty early Sunday morning after he was struck by a fleeing suspect's vehicle, the agency said.

Officials say, 37-year-old Sgt. Grant Candies was helping with a pursuit on Sunday shortly after midnight when he was struck by the fleeing suspect's vehicle and killed while attempting to put down a spike strip on Interstate 10. 

The pursuit began on Brownswitch Road in St. Tammany Parish when a deputy tried to make a traffic stop on a vehicle. The driver drove away at a high speed, refusing to stop. The pursuit ended when the suspect's vehicle crashed into an NOPD unit on the Southshore. 

Authorities say, 17-year-old Adrian Waughtal was arrested and booked Sunday morning in Orleans Parish and was transported to St. Tammany Parish where he was booked for first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated flight. Four other people were in the car at the time of the incident. 

"Sgt. Candies was an asset to the department,” Sheriff Randy Smith said. “He was the kind of deputy every agency hopes to have and someone his teammates routinely reached out to for advice and direction due to his vast knowledge of this job. His path to law enforcement was one of fate and devotion to his family, to his community and to a calling greater than himself. He will be missed by all who knew him and all who worked alongside him.”

Sgt. Candies is survived by a wife and two children. 

This investigation is ongoing, detectives are still conducting interviews and more arrests and additional charges are possible.