2 teens booked in crime spree
New Orleans — A string of robberies and carjackings Tuesday night, including one that involved a shooting, had Uptown residents on edge, but New Orleans police announced the arrest of two teenagers they believe were involved in some of the incidents.
Sixth District officers responded to two robberies and two carjackings in less than four hours from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.
Sixth District Commander Robert Bardy said authorities have arrested a 14-year-old and 16-year-old whom they have tied to at least two of the incidents. One of the youths was wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.
The most serious incident happened near the intersection of Camp Street and Delachaise at about 10:31 p.m. An unidentified man was found with a gunshot wound to the chest after three suspects demanded his vehicle in front of his home.
The man was outside, while his family waited inside, when he was approached by an unknown number of assailants, Bardy said. They demanded his vehicle and then opened fire when he took too long to comply, he said. The victim was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Police are still searching for the victim’s silver 2004 Cadillac SRX in that incident.
Around the same time, a woman reported she was being robbed in the 2300 block of Marengo Street by a man who knocked on her car window, pointed a gun at her and demanded her vehicle. When the woman complied, the robber and an accomplice fled in her 2004 Toyota Solara. However, the victim was able to quickly provide police a description of the robbers and her car, Bardy said.
About 30 minutes earlier, a woman reported being robbed in the 1600 block of First Street by two suspects who brandished a weapon and stole her purse. She said the two men approached her and demanded her bag while another suspect stood watch.
Bardy said police flooded the area because of the reports, but it was actually an off-duty officer who spotted the vehicle reported stolen from Marengo Street.
That car was seen near S. Claiborne Avenue, and the officer followed it in an unmarked police car while notifying police dispatch.
After a short pursuit, three men dumped that car in the 3800 block of North Prieur Street and fled on foot. Police were able to capture two of those men, while the third escaped. Bardy said the two teenagers captured were later connected to the incidents on Marengo Street and First Street through victim identifications
“We’re talking about a lot of good police work here,” Bardy said about the arrests.
One of the suspects in the robberies was wearing an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet when he was arrested. Funding for the city’s electronic monitoring system for juveniles has been a source of contention between the New Orleans City Council and the Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office for months.
On Wednesday, the council’s criminal justice committee issued a statement saying the program needs adequate funding for residents to remain safe..
The 6th District also had another armed robbery shortly before 2 a.m. in 1500 block of Antonine Street, but Bardy said authorities are not sure whether it was connected to the earlier incidents. A separate armed robbery was reported in the 3rd District in the 200 block of Bellaire Drive at about 8:09 p.m., but it is not believed to be connected.