'X Factor' Police Chase Leads to Arrest for Competition Hopeful
A high-speed police chase in Louisiana led to the arrest of "X Factor" hopeful Orrion Wilson. Wilson reportedly stole a Pontiac Grand Prix in order to make it home in time for a second audition with the Fox series.
"We don't know whether he will get out in time for the next audition," Detective Daniel Seuzeneau, a police spokesman, told the Associated Press.
Wilson allegedly stole a vehicle and led police on a high-speed chase before slamming into a police car and then coming to a stop after Officer Michael Giardina nudged the car with his own vehicle. That led Wilson to suffer a spinout and finally come to a stop; he attempted to run once the vehicle stopped, but police quickly apprehended him.
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Wilson was booked with aggravated assault of a police officer, theft of a motor vehicle, theft over $500, criminal damage, resisting an officer, and aggravated flight from an officer.
He allegedly told police that he flew to New Orleans for the "X Factor" auditions but used up all his money on cabs to get around the city and did not have enough to get home to Florida.
"I had no choice," Wilson said when asked why he took the idling car from the gas station. The owner had gone inside the station, leaving everything in his vehicle.
"Wilson jumped into the car, tossed his suitcase in the back seat, and fled. The vehicle owner immediately called Slidell Police, who swarmed the area in an attempt to locate the vehicle," Seuzeneau wrote in a press release.
While the Fox network has not yet commented on the situation, police said that Wilson had a paper in his possession that read: "Congratulations. You have made it to the next stage of 'The X Factor.'"
He is now awaiting transfer to the St. Tammany Parish jail for his bond hearing, Seuzeneau said, and it is likely that Wilson's dreams of appearing on the "X Factor" have been temporarily sidelined.
