Crime update 8.11.07

Break-ins breaking out...

What next?: Normally, residential burglaries are not a problem in the French Quarter or Marigny Triangle, occurring rarely. But, now...4 burglaries have occurred this past week, all within a close area:

• 1022 Toulouse St., 8.6.07: The owner locked up his house at 11 p.m. on 8.4.07, but when he returned on 8.6.07 at 9:30 a.m. he observed the front door was shut but not locked and there were pry marks near the door knob. Missing were 2 brown leather suitcases and 2 antique walnut chairs with green seat covers.
  

• 913 Gov. Nicholls St., 8.7.07: The victim said his house was locked up at midnight, but when he awoke at 10 a.m. he found the bathroom window open and the screen cut. He discovered a laptop computer and computer bag missing.

• 724 Dumaine St., 8.9.07: The owner locked his house at 2 p.m. 8.8.07. When he returned 8.9.07, he noticed the door to his apartment had been kicked in and the interior ransacked. Missing was $1,200 in cash and a men's silver Guess watch. The report states, "The officer observed the scene but could find no evidence of forced entry." The "door kicked in" doesn't count?

• 1015 Dauphine St., 8.9.07: The victim was home and at about 6:55 a.m. heard someone pull hard on the exterior door to her apartment. She looked out the window and saw a white male, 20-25 years old, wearing a light blue shirt and khaki cargo pants, jump over the wall into a neighbor's courtyard.

• 919 St. Philip St., 8.9.07: At 7 a.m., the neighbor adjoining 1015 Dauphine heard a loud noise. He got out of bed and went to the living room where he saw the window next to the front door had been smashed and there was blood on the outside walkway under the window.

You can run but you can't hide: If you think it's any better else where, here's news from a NOcrimeline subscriber summering in the oh-so tony Hamptons:

"Well crime has come to East Hampton. Had our 2000 green Volvo stolen from in front of our house in East Hampton. Came in our house through a window. Did not mess anything up. Took all the hard liquor and a Queen Mary tin of quarters $100. Took key out of dish in living room and left with car. Disgusting, but I guess we are lucky. Television, etc. not touched."

Whew, that's a relief--you'll still be able to watch "Cops" on Saturday night.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.10.07

Night out FOR crime...

Some just haven't gotten the message: It had been a relatively quiet week crime-wise, ever since Lt. Eddie Selby deployed his mega-force of cops in the Lower French Quarter and Marigny Triangle 10 days ago. But 2 nights after local residents held Night Out Against Crime events, a car-full of punks tried to make it a night out FOR crime last night by staging 3 robberies in the span of 90 minutes. When it was all over, 8th District cops swooped down on the car carrying the gang of 6 in the 1000 block of Chartres Street--just 2 blocks from where an officer in the taskforce shot another suspect exactly one week ago. Maybe these guys--and gals--haven't heard the Lower Quarter and Triangle are no places to go if you've got dastardly deeds in mind.

Here's what happened where:

• 600 block of Burgundy Street (between Toulouse and St. Peter streets), 10:35 p.m. Thursday: A 48-year-old white man who lives in the 900 block of Conti Street was walking toward Esplanade Avenue on Burgundy when he saw a black man walking toward him. He tried to avoid him, but the man jumped in his path again and mumblede something, which turned out to be "Give me your money" when the victim looked down and saw the semi-automatic handgun the perpetrator was holding. The victim, who had just come from the NONPAC police meeting about 4 hours earlier, said he "immediately forgot everything Capt. Hosli has told us about remembering a perp's appearance. All I could see was the gun. I gave him my cash ($28) and we each fled in opposite directions, he towards Esplanade and me back towards Conti."

• Dauphine and Kerelec streets, 11:15 p.m. Thursday: A 27-year-old white man who lives in the 1900 block of Dauphine was walking to the Esplanade Mini-Market at the corner when he noticed 2 black men, one of whom crossed the street and acted as a lookout while the other pulled a handgun and demanded the victim's money.

• Dauphine and St. Philip streets, 12:10 a.m. Friday: A white man who lives in the 500 block of Dumaine Street (who turned 22 today) was walking on Dauphine toward Esplanade Avenue when he noticed a car-full of black people parked just off St. Philip. Just as he past the street, a black man came up from behind and asked him if he knew where "Quincy Street" is. When the victim turned around, the man brandished a black semi-automatic pistol and asked for the victim's cellphone and a red bag he was carrying.

The robber fled down St. Philip toward the river and the victim walked back toward Dumaine where he saw a cop car parked in the 1100 block of Dauphine. As the officer came around and down St. Philip, he spotted a man fitting the perpetrator's description getting in the car the victim had earlier seen on St. Philip. The officer, joined by other NOPD cars, pursued the getaway car to the 1000 block of Chartres Street where they stopped the 1999 gray Infiniti G20, which was occupied by 2 black men, a black juvenile boy, and 3 black women. A gun described in each of the robberies was found in the glove compartment and various property taken in the robberies was found on the back seat.

Arrested were:

• John James, 20, whose last known address is 1736 Vintage Dr., Kenner. He was charged with 2 counts of armed robbery, 1 count of robbery with a firearm, and is also being held on a warrant from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. He was identified in all 3 robberies.

• Wilbert L. Johnson, 18, whose last know address is 444 Sopaparu St. He was charged with 1 counts of armed robbery and 1 count of robbery with a firearm. He was identified in the Dauphine/Kerelec robbery and the Dauphine/St. Philip robbery.

• 14-year-old black boy, whose last know address is 1839 Carondelet St. He was charged with armed robbery.

Also charged with armed robbery were 3 black women who shared the same address 1736 Vintage Dr. in Kenner as John James:

• Kiandra Lee, 23

• Tiandra Lee, 21

• Tiffany LeBlanc, 25
  

All 6 suspects were booked into Central Lockup this morning just after 7 a.m. They have not appeared before a magistrate yet for a bond hearing.

Give the men of the 8th District, and their commander, Lt. Selby, a hand for putting the screws to these crooks and getting them out of the neighborhood. The taskforce they're manning every night is showing results--either in fewer crimes or more arrests. Maybe even tell your city councilman you want funding for these efforts to continue.

More tomorrow on a rash of residential burglaries...but for now, the Saints aren't going to delay the kickoff for me.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 8.7.07

So far so good...

Hyped-up patrols are working: Since Lt. Eddie Selby sent his force of plainclothes cops into the Lower French Quarter and Marigny Triangle on the first of the month, that part of the 8th District has been nearly as quiet as it's ever been. After the patrols began in reaction to a wave of armed robberies at the end of July, no armed robberies have occurred and even car thefts and break-ins have been virtually non-existent in those neighborhoods. That's in marked contrast to 22 armed robberies in the 8th District from 6.29.07 to 7.31.07, with 15 of the total in the Lower Quarter and Triangle.

The shooting of a suspect by one of the force's plainclothesmen may have solved at least 2 of those robberies. The second night of the enhanced patrols last Thursday morning, Vincent Beverly, 18, a black man, tried to outdraw the cop by pulling a .40-caliber Glock from his waistband when he was corned by 2 officers at Chartres and Gov. Nicholls streets. The cop was quicker on the trigger and shot the suspect once in the side. He's still in the hospital and is expected to be paralyzed for life.

When Beverly's picture was shown in a photo lineup to victims in several recent robberies, the victims in 2 robberies were able to positively identify Beverly as the man who robbed them. The victim in a third robbery said he couldn't be sure it was Beverly. When the suspect is released from the hospital, he will be charged in the robbery of 2 white men 7.23.07 at 1417 Royal St. and the robbery of a man 7.28.07 in the 1200 block of Bourbon Street. A man who was robbed in the 900 block of Esplanade Avenue on 7.26.07 was not able to positively ID the suspect.

But elsewhere...: The only 2 robberies that have occurred since the crackdown have been outside the targeted area.

• Magazine and Gravier streets, Monday 8.6.07, 4 a.m.: A 25-year-old black female from Illinois was walking on Gravier when a black car pulled up and a black female armed with a handgun got out and demanded the victim's purse. The victim complied and the robber sped off with the purse containing $300. The robber was described as 25-27, 5'5" tall, weighing 130 pounds; there was no description of the vehicle.
  

• Iberville and Burgundy streets, Monday 8.6.07, 5 a.m.: A white man, 22, and a black man, 39, both from Baton Rouge, were walking in the 200 block of Burgundy toward Canal Street when they realized they were being followed by 3 black men. As they got to Iberville, 2 more black men approached them from the other direction. The 5 thugs attacked the 2 men and took their wallets. Ritz-Carlton employees observed the melee and ran to the aid of the victims and stopped the attack. The attackers, described as 20-25 of age, with one having dreadlocks, made off with the wallets and just over $300 in cash. The incident was caught on the hotel's video cameras, but was of poor quality. (You'd think the Ritz-Carlton, of all hotels, could afford better surveillance.)

Pursesnatchings continue: While pursesnatchings have subsided somewhat, you still have to be careful. On Sunday, 8.5.07, a white woman, 31, was walking in the 900 block of Toulouse Street about 3:30 p.m. when a black man on a red English racer-style bicycle rode up beside her and grabbed the purse from her shoulder. He fled across N. Rampart Street and turned on Basin Street. He was described as in his early 40s, 5'11" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with short hair and dark complexion, wearing dark pants and light colored T-shirt.

Kidnapping? You decide: Only a tourist would be foolish enough to follow two strangers into the Iberville Housing Project. But according to the Times-Picayune, a 38-year-old man from Maryland wandered off Bourbon Street about 8 a.m. Saturday 8.4.07 when 2 men approached him and asked him to follow them. Typically, the T-P didn't identify the victim or the perps by race, but it's hard to believe 3 white men would stupidly venture into the 1400 block of Bienville Street where there have been 3 or more shootings/killings in the past week. Once there, the tourist was held against his will, cut no less than 7 times and shot in the butt 3 times. He was too sedated in the hospital for cops to get more details. But the NOPD's 1st District, which wrote the report, is calling it a "simple kidnapping" to pin the crime in the 8th District. Can't blame the 1st for not wanting to take the heat for still another shooting in its jurisdiction, but why pin a dubious charge on the 8th?

Don't forget : As part of the annual Night Out Against Crime TONIGHT, 2 crimewatch groups in the French Quarter are staging parties:

• Lower Quarter Crime Watch: 6-9 p.m. at Cabrini Park at Dauphine and Barracks streets. Bring a potluck dish to share; drinks will be supplied by Margaritaville. There will be live music. Bring chairs and your neighbors.

• Upper Quarter Neighborhood Watch: 6:30-8:30 p.m. 900 block of Orleans Street, between Dauphine and Burgundy streets. It's potluck with free beer, wine and soft drinks, and live music by violin and accordion.

More importantly: With all the talk of the good video surveillance cameras could do in fighting crime in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle, the NONPAC meeting THIS Thursday (8.9.07) will feature a presentation by Det. Mike Carambat, from the NOPD's criminal intelligence bureau, about cameras for homes and businesses. He'll show demonstrations and dispense important information on installing your own video surveillance. With him will be Robert Stellingworth, president of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, who will explain the plans for a citywide database of video cameras.

A good number of residents have expressed interest in installing their own systems, but are unaware of how to go about it. This meeting should provide some valuable insights.

The meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Omni Royal Orleans hotel, 621 St. Louis St.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 7.24.07

Just when you thought it safe...

Robberies rebound: After a relatively quiet week following a rash of armed robberies a week ago, the bad guys are back at it. Two 19-year-old Mississippi men were robbed at gunpoint last night (7.23.07) on Royal Street near Esplanade Avenue at almost the exact location of another robbery 11 days ago that bears remarkable similarities--although the NOPD arrested a suspect in the earlier incident.

Last night, the victims, who are white, were walking about 10 p.m. on Royal toward Esplanade when they were accosted by a black man with an automatic handgun. He forced them into an alley at 1417 Royal St. and demanded their wallets. When one of the victims was slow in producing his wallet, the perpetrator smacked him along side the head with the gun. The crook then ordered the men to their knees, facing the wall, as he fled with nearly $200 in cash.

The perpetrator was described as 18-25 years old, 5'10" tall, thin build, with (of course) short dreadlocks, wearing a black T-shirt and light-colored shorts.

In the similar robbery on July 12 at 1424 Royal St., three 24-year-old white men were held up at gunpoint about 1 a.m., ordered to put their hands on the wall while the robber lifted their wallets, and then forced to lay on the ground while the robber fled. In that case, the NOPD arrested Anthony Fields, 21, who is 5'10" tall and weighs 140 pounds, with short dreadlocks, and was wearing a black T-shirt. But Fields is sitting in OPP in lieu of over a half-million dollars' bail.

The lesson is: No matter all the recent successes the 8th District NOPD has had in apprehending robbers, they're still out there.

Shoes make the man: A tip from a woman who learned the hard way: When you're trying to describe a perpetrator, remember his shoes. A woman who signed her email as "Someone who didn't!" says while clothing descriptions are important, "many perps wear distinguishing clothing that is easily removed, unlike their footwear."

She also says skin "tone" is also important. A black person could be light complected, or dark, or somewhere in between. She adds, "A black male with close cropped hair or dreadlocks isn't very specific. Check out the shoes and skin tone!"

Good points. It may be hard to get an overall description under distress, but shoes are often very distinct and if you can remember just those details, it might make a difference in identifying a perp.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 7.23.07

Not so funny now...

Laughing boy squelched: The kid who thought it was fun and games terrorizing tourists a weekend ago is probably singing a different tune now. A 14-year-old black boy was charged in the armed robbery of 3 young women and one man, all in their 20s, early Saturday morning a week ago (7.14.07) in the 1600 block of Paugher Street in the Marigny Triangle. He is also considered a possible suspect in the robbery of a California tourist in the 1200 block of Dauphine Street in the Lower Quarter early last Monday morning (7.16.07) and another robbery Sunday morning (7.15.07) near Fulton and Julia streets by the convention center. There is no word on the whereabouts of his accomplice or the rest of his buddies in the getaway car.

The boy bandit seemed to be on a lark. According to the police report on the Marigny robbery, "All of the victims described the situation as somewhat comical as in they could hardly believe these two were robbing them...they believed this was a joke and maybe it was a fake gun that the perpetrators acted in a childish comical manner." The gun was not fake--the robber fired 2 to 6 shots into the air from a silver-colored revolver while fleeing to a getaway car.

In the Dauphine robbery, the police reported, "The two suspects then started laughing as they ran and jumped into the silver Jeep and sped away. The victim thought the two perpetrators seemed extremely nervous and unskilled in their profession." In that case too, the robber used a revolver which the victim "originally thought could possibly be a fake," but no shots were fired this time.

Where was this kid's mama? They live in the 2100 block of St. Bernard Avenue. Didn't she wonder where Junior was at 1 and 2 a.m.? Are we not going to see her step up until street justice takes care of her son--and then see her, his aunts, his grandma all weeping and wailing on the TV news? Just like we have over and over before. I don't know about you, but I get tired of seeing these crying jags AFTER the fact.

Street justice claims another one: I don't know if you saw the report in the T-P a weekend ago, but one of the thugs gunned down at Clara and Felicity streets had a long criminal history. He had pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree murder in 1997, possession of marijuana in 2003 and possession of a stolen auto in 2002. He had appeared in court on another marijuana charge just 2 days before being shot dead and was due back in court a couple of days after his death. Case closed.

Suspects sought: An arrest warrant was issued Thursday (7.19.07) for a suspect in the armed robbery of a Covington couple in the 700 block of Gov. Nicholls Street on June 30. The NOPD is looking for 18-year-old Gino M. McDowell, whose last known address is 1539 Music St. He is described as a black male, 6'1" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with medium-length dreadlocks.

When apprehended he will be charged with armed robbery of the white couple, a man 36 and a woman 23, who were strolling about 12:30 a.m. when they stopped to admire a garden at 715 Gov. Nicholls and the suspect allegedly crossed the street and pulled a gun on the pair, forcing the man to kneel on the sidewalk facing the wall. The robber got $30 and two credit cards from the man.

An arrest warrant has also been issued for a suspect in the robbery June 22 of an 18-year-old white man who resides in the 400 block of Burgundy and made the mistake of walking by Dauphine and St. Louis streets--"Crack Corner". Wanted is Billy Gaines, 22, whose last known address is 1122 Behrman Hwy. in Algiers. He is described as a black man, 5'11" tall, weighing 150 pounds, with dreadlocks. Saying "of course" might be exaggerating a bit, but have you noticed the trend lately?

According to the police report, a witness saw the suspect standing on the corner with a group of black men and women about 3 a.m. and heard him tell his buddies he was going to punch the approaching victim in the face. The suspect, according to the witness, went up behind the victim in the 900 block of St. Louis Street, punched the man in the head and took his wallet containing $35 and his cellphone.

More successes?: I haven't tallied up the crime reports I get from the NOPD scientifically, but it seems to me that Lt. Eddie Selby and his pack of detectives are solving more crimes than ever before. They're making more arrests and issuing more warrants than I can recall in a long time. It might be nice next time you see him just to say "thanks."

Score one for the scooters: Some wonder whether the officers on motorscooters that Capt. Edwin Hosli is sending out on patrol are effective. Here's a testimonial: a resident this morning reported returning home in the 900 block of Ursulines Avenue to fine a derelict sprawled out on the sidewalk asleep. He called 8th District headquarters and within 3 minutes an officer on a scooter arrived to haul the sidewalk sleeper off in cuffs. The officer had been in Jackson Square, so it was a quick scoot to Ursulines. A patrol car would not likely have been able to maneuver so fast.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 7.16.07

Here we go again...

New robberies, same robbers, possibly: 4 more armed robberies in the last 2 days have the 8th District NOPD hopping.

A robbery this morning at about 1 a.m. in the 1200 block of Dauphine Street might have been perpetrated by the same punks who held up 4 people Saturday morning at Pauger and Burgundy streets, according to Lt. Eddie Selby. And they might be connected to a robbery Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. in the 800 block of Fulton Street.

The police are looking for a silver Jeep, possibly with a Florida license plate since the plate was green and orange. The robbers escaped in this vehicle which contained 3 other black guys.

The robbers were described as black boys, "very young, possibly teenagers." The victim thought the two perpetrators seemed "extremely nervous and unskilled in their profession." The gunman was described as about 5'8" tall, wearing a red hat and red shirt, with tight braids coming out from the side of his hat. His accomplice was about 6'2", wearing blue jean shorts and had his hair in a small afro. Lt. Selby thinks they know who the gunman is, but now it's just a matter of time before they locate him and the silver Jeep.

The victim, a 23-year-old white man from California, parked his RV on Elysian Fields Avenue, walked down Esplanade Avenue to Dauphine Street. When he got to the 1200 block (between Barracks & Gov. Nicholls streets) he saw 2 black guys standing, talking with 3 black guys in a silver Jeep. As he approached, the Jeep drove off but then slowed down as the 2 punks came toward him and pulled a revolved, which the victim thought might be fake (don't take the chance--3 shots were fired by the robber in the Saturday morning robbery). He gave them his backpack and his wallet, which contained no cash but did contain a credit card and bank card. The 2 perpetrators then started laughing as they ran and jumped into the silver Jeep and sped away.

(The victim walked over to Bourbon Street where he tried to report the crime to an officer there, but was told he would have to go to the 8th District headquarters at Royal and Conti streets--at least 10 blocks away! That officer never did broadcast a description of the getaway car. I'm waiting to hear what Capt. Hosli has to say about this cop--I know darn well it doesn't measure up to his standards.)

Two robberies in the CBD are also believed to be linked to another pair of robbers.

At 3:20 a.m. Sunday, a gold Nissan Maxima with tinted windows pulled up next to 2 white men where walking to their vehicle at Annunciation and Poeyfarre streets. The driver asked the men what street they were on when the passenger got out of the car and pulled a semi-automatic handgun and demanded, "Give me what you've got!" One of the intended victims took off running around the corner, his 26-year-old buddy gave the robber his wallet. The robber hit him in the back of the head with the gun and got back in the Nissan, which fled down Poeyfarre.

The robber was described as being a black man, 5'9" tall, weighing 190 pounds, wearing a tan T-shirt, blue jean shorts, and his hair in cornrows.

In another robbery in the CBD about 1:55 a.m. this morning, a 30-year-old white man and 25-year-old white woman who had gone to the woman's car parked in the 900 block of Tchoupitoulas Street were approached by a car in a fashion similar to the Sunday morning robbery.

That car was described as a Nissan Maxima or possibly a gold or silver or dark-colored Pontiac Grand Am. The passenger rolled down his window and asked "Do you know where Diddy Street is?" The woman asked her companion if he had every heard of such a street in the area. "While they where occupied with the topic of Diddy Street," as the police report put it, a black man got out of the car and pointed a handgun at the woman, yelling "Give me everything and get on the ground!" The woman emptied her pockets and put her cellphone, her keys and some spare change on the rear of her car and threw herself on the ground. Her companion, " who was somewhat in shock did not listen," as the police report put it. The robber walked around the car to him and reiterated his command, "Didn't I tell you to get on the ground?" This time he complied and the robber patted him down, looking for loot. The robber took the woman's cellphone and threw her keys on the ground away from the victims. He returned to his car and told his accomplice, "They don't have anything," and got in the car as it sped off. The victims stayed on the ground for several minutes before they got up and called police.

The victims described the gunman as wearing a red striped shirt and jeans shorts, with dreadlocks. Dreadlocks again! If you see'em, report'em!

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler