Documented Incident
Defense motion seeks to exclude Flock ALPR evidence in Baton Rouge murder case
Event: March 17, 2024 · First reported: October 11, 2026 · 2 sources
Attorneys for Tahj Carter, 21, who was arrested in March 2024 on a second-degree murder charge in the shooting death of 20-year-old Jarvion Johnson on Tams Drive in Baton Rouge, filed a motion on Sept. 30 asking a judge to quash the indictment and suppress license plate reader data from Flock cameras. According to the motion, prosecutors turned over five Flock photographs showing the rear and plate of a dark-colored sedan at different locations on the day of the killing, but no other Flock images from that day — including images of other similar vehicles — were preserved. Defense attorney Elizabeth Warner argued the ALPR data is the primary, and possibly only, evidence linking Carter to the crime. The motion also seeks to exclude evidence from two phone searches and Carter's post-arrest statements, asserting that police interrogated him before obtaining an arrest warrant. Carter's trial is scheduled for Nov. 16.
The case tests how courts treat automated license plate reader records as criminal evidence, including who controls access to the database and what obligations police have to preserve data that might support a defendant.
Key facts
- Jarvion Johnson, 20, was found shot in a car outside his home on Tams Drive on March 17, 2024; Tahj Carter was arrested four days later.
- The arrest warrant cited police databases, license plate readers and video surveillance to link the suspect vehicle to Carter.
- The state disclosed five Flock photographs; the defense says no other Flock images from that day were preserved.
- The defense motion, filed Sept. 30, also challenges two phone searches and statements made before an arrest warrant was issued.
- These are defense allegations that a judge has not ruled on; trial is set for Nov. 16.
Timeline
- October 11, 2026Motion attempts to throw out Flock camera evidence connected to 2024 murder on Tams Drive
- October 13, 2026Baton Rouge murder case challenges Flock camera evidence from 2024 Tams Drive shooting
Sources
This summary was written from the published reporting below and links to it; BlockFlockNow does not reproduce article text.
- Motion attempts to throw out Flock camera evidence connected to 2024 murder on Tams Drive (Wbrz, October 11, 2026)
- Baton Rouge murder case challenges Flock camera evidence from 2024 Tams Drive shooting (Newsbreak, October 13, 2026)
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Updated October 14, 2026. Corrections: blockflock@bytebunny.io. See all documented incidents or search the full article archive.