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A ‘saggy pants’ violation led to a fatal police chase. A Louisiana lawmaker wants to repeal the law.

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May 30, 2019 at 7:29 a.m. EDT
Two young men with low-slung, baggy jeans walk in Trenton, N.J., in 2007. Shreveport, La., was just one of numerous municipalities nationwide to pass a “saggy pants” ordinance in the mid-2000s, as the movement to ban the emerging fashion trend rippled across the country in conservative legislatures and towns. (Mel Evans/AP)

Anthony Childs clung to his shorts as he ran past the police cruiser, holding them at his waist to keep them from falling down.

The officer had spotted Childs walking along the sidewalk in Shreveport, La., on the afternoon of Feb. 5 and cut a sharp left turn at the next intersection to speed up next to him. Childs, the officer saw, appeared in violation of Shreveport’s “saggy pants” ordinance, prohibiting wearing pants below the waist in public, punishable by a fine of up to $100 and up to eight hours of community service.