"We be the police"

Cops and robbers: The latest robbers menacing the Lower Quarter are posing as police officers. And they may be taking advantage of some knowledge of police procedures--they are striking in the 5 to 7 a.m. span when the real police are changing shifts. They struck last Friday at 4:55 a.m. in the 1300 block of Decatur Street and again Sunday at 6 a.m. in the 500 block of Ursulines Street. Last Wednesday they struck at 5 a.m. in the 900 block of Touro Street and then again an hour later at 6 a.m. in the 900 block of Barracks Street.

Only in the most recent robberies did the perpetrators pose as cops. The robbers in the last 3 robberies fit a similar description: in their 20s, one 5'7" tall, the other 5'10" tall, both weighing about 150 pounds, and both (please God, don't make me say "of course") black men. The robber from Touro Street, also black, was described as taller at 6' and heavier at 185.

The most recent armed robberies:

• 1300 block of Decatur Street, Friday, 12.7.07, 4:55 a.m.: 2 white guys, one 19 from Metairie and the other 26 from the CBD, were standing on the sidewalk when they saw a black man stagger toward them as if he was highly intoxicated. As the drunk got to them, he pulled a black semi-automatic pistol from his waistband and ordered the men to put their hands on the car next to them.

He told them he was the police and if they didn't cooperate he would put them in jail. He instructed them to hand him their wallets, then he asked for their identification. He took a set of keys from one of the victims and tried several of the keys on the door of the car they victims were leaning on.

Told that the car wasn't theirs, the robber handed back the keys and ordered the victims to lay on the ground with their face down and their palms out. The robber pretended to be talking on a police radio, saying he "had the subjects in custody."

The robber walked toward Esplanade Avenue with the victims' wallets containing about $190. He was described as 25-30 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing 160 pounds, wearing brown sweats, a matching hooded sweatshirt, and a black stocking cap.

• 500 block of Ursulines Street, Sunday, 12.9.07, 6 a.m.: 2 robbers took a 57-year-old Minnesota tourist for all he had. The victim was getting out of his rental car on Ursulines, a couple of car lengths from Chartres Street.

As he was reaching into the car, 2 black men approached the victim from behind, pointing a black semi-automatic pistol at his head. The gunman ordered him to "Get out and put your hands on the car!" and demanded his wallet. As the victim took his hand off the car to reach his wallet, the second robber got nervous and put the victim's hand back on the car, announcing, "We be the police!"

The second robber pushed the victim against a wall and began a systematic search, including the victim's socks. During the search, the robber grabbed the victim's crotch. The victim reacted by pulling his hand off the wall and striking the robber in the head with his elbow. The robber was started and the victim fled in the direction of his hotel in the 600 block of Ursulines.

As he looked back, he saw the robbers flee in his car up Chartres toward Esplanade Avenue where they sideswiped 3 parked vehicles in the 1200 block of Chartres.

In all, the victim lost his rental car (a dark gray, 4-door Chevrolet Impala, LA tag RDU673), his wallet containing $40 in cash, driver's license, 3 credit cards, health insurance cards, AAA card, his cellphone, his personal keys for a desk, car and home, a suit case with his clothing in the car's trunk, and Christmas presents.

The robbers were described as in their 20's, one 5'7" tall, the other 5'10", both weighing 150 pounds, both were wearing dark pants, one with a black T-shirt and the other a white T-shirt.

The police--the real ones--are hoping 2 video cameras in the area will help them identify the perpetrators. They are also staking out the Lower Quarter to nab the perpetrators pull another early a.m. robbery.

Another burglary: There was another residential burglary last week in the same vicinity of the mid-Quarter. This one occurred Thursday at 834 Orleans St., following earlier ones on Monday at 916 St. Ann St. and on Tuesday at 1025 1/2 St. Ann St.

For some reason the report detailing the Thursday episode isn't available yet.

Another case closed: We just found out that the new DA Keva Landrum (her last name ought to be "Let'em Go") dropped charges on 11.08.07 of robbery and battery against Billy Gaines, a 22-year-old dreadlocked dude from Algiers--despite an eyewitness account.

Gaines was arrested in August for the June 22 robbery of an 18-year-old white man at Dauphine and St. Louis streets--"Crack Corner".

A witness told police she 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.

And still another: On Thursday, we reported we had just learned the DA decided 11.8.07 not to prosecute Gino McDowell for an armed robbery in the French Quarter in June. (We blamed it on Eddie Jordan, but it was actually "Lady Let'em Go" who was reducing her work load.)

Instead McDowell, 19, pled not guilty last Wednesday 11.5.07 to one count of attempted second degree murder and bond was set at $50,000. Then, surprisingly, the DA dropped that charge and decided to seek a grand jury indictment on a first degree murder charge.

McDowell had been arrested in Atlanta on Oct. 1 and charged with murder in the shooting death of an Alabama man July 31 near Marais and Pauline streets, behind Drew Elementary School.

A month earlier, McDowell had been accused in the armed robbery at 715 Gov. Nicholls St. on June 30 of a white couple from Covington, a man 36 and a woman 23, who were strolling about 12:30 a.m. when they stopped to admire a garden. 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.

"Lady Let'em Go" dropped those charges too. What's the matter? Getting a gun stuck in your face and having your money taken is no longer considered a crime?

Don't forget: The monthly meeting of NONPAC (New Orleans Neighborhood Policing Anti-Crime Council) this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Maison Dupuy Hotel, 1001 Toulouse St. (at Burgundy Street) in the Renoir Room.

Capt. Hosli may introduce some or all of the 12 new recruits assigned to the 8th District from the most recent academy graduating class.

***

NOcrimeline is a summary of some of the recent crimes occurring in the French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, and CBD. It does not list all crimes reported to the NOPD, but attempts to include those of most interest to residents concerned for their own safety.

You are welcome to forward this email to anyone who shares those concerns. To be added to our email list, send your FULL NAME and HOME ADDRESS to: NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 12.6.07

That didn't last long...

When I started writing this column yesterday it was entitled "No news is good news", based on the fact there had been no armed robberies in the past 10 days nor much else of note. I should have known better.

Armed robbers strike twice: In an hour's time and only a few blocks from each other, armed robbers disturbed the early morning tranquility yesterday.

At 5 a.m., a 23-year-old white man was walking in the 900 block of Touro Street near Burgundy Street when he was approached by 2 black thugs. One of the perpetrators, holding a semi-automatic pistol, told the victim, "You know the deal..." The victim began emptying his pockets when he was struck in the face by the second perpetrator with a beer bottle. The robbers fled with $150 from the victim.

A brief description was given of only one of the robbers: 24-30 years old, 6' tall, weighing 185 pounds. No description was given of the other robber. Wake up folks! I know it's traumatic to be robbed, but how do you expect the cops to catch the perps if you can't give more of a description that that?

At 6:05 a.m., 2 elderly white men, one 82 and the other 70, were standing by their car in front of their house in the 900 block of Barracks Street near Dauphine Street when 2 black men approached on foot. One pulled a semi-automatic pistol from his waistband and pointed it at the head of one of the victims and said, "Give me your money or I'll shoot you, b****h!" The victim gave him $100 from his wallet while the second robber took the other victim's wallet. Noticing the victim's car keys in the trunk lock of the car, one of the thief's took the keys and the robbers fled in the victims' car.

Both robbers were described as 20-23 years old; one 5'10" tall, no weight given, wearing a dark-colored jacket and shirt and a knit cap, the other 5'8" tall, weighing 150 pounds, wearing a orange shirt and dark pants. You'd think the car they stole from the victims would be described in the police report, but it wasn't.

Burglaries on St. Ann: On Monday, the tenant in 916 St. Ann St. was notified by his landlord at 3:35 p.m. that his residence had been broken into. The victim, who had been gone since 8:30 a.m., returned home and saw the window pane in the entry door had been broken. A drawer that had been in a dresser upstairs was dumped on the sofa downstairs and $50 in loose change was missing from the drawer.

On Tuesday, an elderly resident of 1025 1/2 St. Ann St. awoke at 7 a.m. to find jewelry valued at $1,000 and a credit card missing from his bureau drawer. A large glass pane had been removed from a window to give the thief entry.

No way to treat a tourist: A 40-year-old white woman from Kentucky had her purse stolen Tuesday about 7 p.m. in a violent episode outside Harrah's Casino. She was at S. Peters and Gravier streets when she was attacked from behind by a black man who ripped the purse from her shoulder, knocking her to the ground. Her arm twisted around the purse as she fell and when the thief tugged violently at it, she repeatedly hit her head on the concrete sidewalk. The thief finally wrested her purse away and fled on foot.

The victim and a witness described the robber as 20-30 years old, 6'2" tall, weighing 250 pounds, wearing a white shirt and dark baggy pants, with a stocky/heavy build, dark complexion, short hair, no facial hair.

One thing leads to another: It started when Jefferey D. Struve, 32, apparently tried to commit theft with a credit card. It ended at 1234 Royal St. on Monday at 12:21 a.m. after he allegedly struck one NOPD officer with a lamp and another with his closed fist, and then grabbed one of the officer's service weapon and tried to remove it from the holster.

He wound up charged with resisting an officer, 2 counts of battery on a police officer, and disarming a police officer. Oh yeah, and then there's that charge for a burglary last year for which he failed to show up in court.

Struve, a white guy from Grand Rapids, MI, is sitting in OPP on a $50,000 bond. Bet he makes his next court date on 1.31.08. Happy holidays.

Smoking in the boys' room: Not sure why a 18-year-old student at Le Rabouin Career Magnet School at 727 Carondelet St. would be invited to the restroom by a friend, any more than I know why the police report is dated this past Sunday, unless the student waited to report the incident.

The police report did state: The restroom "is where the students are known to congregate for the purposes of smoking or other illegal activities." (No kidding? They still do that?) Apparently the purpose was the "illegal activities" his friend and 2 of his buddies were there for. They asked the victim if he had any money on him, and when he replied "yes", they emptied his pockets of all of $2 in change.

The NOPD arrested the victim's "friend", Carl Harris, 17, of 2432 Jackson St., Tyrone Hickerson, 18, of Harvey (What's the matter? They don't have schools in Jefferson Parish so they plague Orleans Parish?) , and a 15-year-old juvenile who lives at 2411 Magnolia St.

The police report noted that Harris and the juvenile were already wearing achievement badges for earlier accomplishments: "ankle bracelets for a prior conviction for auto burglary."

Wave bye-bye: There have been 40 cars stolen in the 8th District (French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, CBD) in the past 10 days--13 of them in just 3 days this week.

The real crime: The DA and the courts have done more harm to the citizens of the French Quarter recently than the criminals themselves.

• First, the DA (it was still Eddie Jordan then) decided not to prosecute Gino McDowell for an armed robbery in the French Quarter in June. Chalk it up to the DA and NOPD which insist on measuring crime only in terms of homicides. Never mind that every armed robbery is one just a slight squeeze of the trigger away from murder.

So McDowell, 19, went to court yesterday and pled not guilty to one count of attempted second degree murder. He's being held on a measly $50,000 bond. You're likely to see him on the street again soon. He is described as a black male, 6'1" tall, weighing 160 pounds, with medium-length dreadlocks. His last known address is 1539 Music St.

He had been arrested in Atlanta on Oct. 1 and charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of an Alabama man July 31 near Marais and Pauline streets, behind Drew Elementary School. When it was all said and done, the DA had changed 2 first-degree murder charges to a single second degree murder charge and dismissed 2 counts of aggravated battery, 2 counts of aggravated assault, and one of armed robbery.

The armed robbery charge was for the holdup at 715 Gov. Nicholls St. on June 30 of a white couple from Covington, a man 36 and a woman 23, who were strolling about 12:30 a.m. when they stopped to admire a garden. 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.

• Second, an ad hoc criminal court judge, Robert Jenkins, a noted defense attorney, acted like he was still a defender and freed-- on drastically reduced charges-- the "Gang of 5+1" who went on a robbery spree one hot August night in the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle.
  

The gang--2 young black men, 1 juvenile black boy, and 3 older black women--were arrested for staging 3 robberies in the span of 90 minutes on 8.10.07:

• 600 block of Burgundy Street, 10:35 p.m., of a 48-year-old white man who lives in the 900 block of Conti Street;

• Dauphine and Kerelec streets, 11:15 p.m., of a 27-year-old white man who lives in the 1900 block of Dauphine;

• Dauphine and St. Philip streets, 12:10 a.m. (the same night), of a 22-year-old white man who lives in the 500 block of Dumaine Street.
  

The last victim alerted a cop parked in the 1100 block of Dauphine and the officer took off down St. Philip where he spotted a man fitting the perpetrator's description getting into a car. The officer, joined by other NOPD cars, pursued the getaway car to the 1000 block of Chartres Street where they apprehended the 6 suspects.

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. Sounds like pretty convincing evidence to me.

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 was wanted on a warrant from the Jefferson Parish. He was identified in all 3 robberies.

• Wilbert 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.

Charged with one count each of armed robbery were:

• Kiandra Lee, 23

• Tiandra Lee , 21

• Tiffany LeBlanc, 25

• A 14-year-old black boy, whose last know address is 1839 Carondelet St.

The 3 women share the same 1736 Vintage Dr., Kenner address as John James.

This crime was considered so serious at the time that when the "Gang of 5" adults were jailed their combined bond was set at $725,000. Even the girls were held on $75,000 bond each--$25,000 more than Gino McDowell (see above) for attempted murder!

After the quintet sat for nearly 4 months in OPP, the DA dropped all the armed robbery charges against James and Johnson. Instead she accepted their guilty pleas to a single count each of simple robbery. Jenkins sentenced each man to 3 years in prison, gave them credit for time served, and released them. Adios, just like that.

The 3 girls--whose crime was probably just riding in a car with boys--were nolle prose'd on all charges and they walked.

Who knows what happened to the kid in the juvenile "justice" system.

"Judge" Jenkins was filling in for deposed judge Charles Elloie and obviously following Elloie's tradition of soft-hearted justice; Laurie White was elected and will soon be sworn into that post soon. We can only hope she'll dispense justice more equitably.

The new DA who took over for Eddie Jordan--and we don't need to enumerate his sins--looks like she's more of the same, which we'll have to endure her for another year. We'd better start scrutinizing candidates for DA now before the fall 2008 election. Charles Foti anyone? If he was chastened enough by being "unelected" state attorney general he might do well if he's as zealous against criminals as he was against citizens.

***

NOcrimeline is a summary of some of the recent crimes occurring in the French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, and CBD. It does not list all crimes reported to the NOPD, but attempts to include those of most interest to residents concerned for their own safety.

You are welcome to forward this email to anyone who shares those concerns. To be added to our email list, send your FULL NAME and HOME ADDRESS to: NOcrimeline@gmail.com.

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 11.27.07

Classic, indeed...

The bad guys focused mostly on the tourists in town for the Bayou Classic this past weekend, but there was just enough mayhem in the Lower Quarter and Marigny Triangle to spoil the weekend for residents.

Another boy bandit?: A boy, believed to be no more than 11 years old, was in a gang of 3 black boys who held up a 19-year-old white man at the corner of N. Rampart and St. Anthony streets on Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m. The 11-year-old stepped up to the victim, who lives nearby, and pointed a small black semi-automatic handgun at him and demanded his money. Thinking it was a joke, the victim kept walking until another boy in the gang, believed to be 16 or 17 years old, put a gun to his head and ordered the victim give his money to the kid. The victim gave them his wallet which had only a debit card but no cash in it and his password-protected iPhone.

Witnesses interviewed by a detective reported seeing the gang of 3 hanging out earlier at the corner of Esplanade Avenue and Bourbon Street and at Burgundy and Paugher streets before this robbery occurred. In both cases, the 3 boys were dressed alike: Black jackets, blue jeans, black baseball caps, and 2 of them holding blue bandannas with a white print in their hands.

During the robbery, 2 of the perpetrators had blue bandannas over their faces. The boy believed to be 11 years old was described as 4' tall, weighing 100 pounds. The older boy thought to be 16 to 17 years old was described as 5'8" tall. No description was given for the third perpetrator.

A citizen reported seeing someone stash a gun behind the burglary bars of an abandoned house at 2021 N. Rampart; the gun fit the description of the gun used in the crime. Detectives are hoping a video camera in the 1800 block of N. Rampart will show the perpetrators walking toward the victim when they are able to view the tape.

This 11-year-old doesn't fit the description of the boy who robbed a woman in the 1400 block of Dauphine Street one morning 3 weeks ago. That perpetrator was described as 5'3" tall, slim with a medium complexion, a short, tight afro haircut, and wore a light-colored, possibly white, T-shirt and jeans.

Later that day: At about 9:30 p.m., a 24-year-old Kenner woman was robbed in the 900 block of St. Philip Street. As she was walking down the street, a black man walking from the opposite direction told her to drop her purse and then pulled a small silver-plated semi-automatic handgun and grabbed the tote bag from her shoulder. The bag contained a payroll check and 3 small emeralds. The thief then told her to walk toward Dauphine Street as he turned and got into a gold-colored SUV that turned around and fled the wrong way on St. Philip.

The thief was described as 25 to 30 years old, 5'6" tall, weighting 170 pounds, wearing dark jeans, a yellow and green striped shirt, and a black knitted cap.

Earlier in the week: A presumably local woman of unknown age (thanks to a sloppily written police report) was robbed Friday of her purse further down St. Philip on Chartres Street by a man described similarly to the previous robber using a similar MO. The victim was walking on Chartres near St. Philip about 5:45 p.m. when a black man approached from the opposite direction and said, "B***h, give me your purse--this ain't no game!" She complied, and the robber fled to a white vehicle (sedan? SUV? pickup? Who knows?) which drove off up Chartres.

The victim and a witness gave the detective a license plate number which the investigator traced to a man with an extensive arrest record for drugs and property crimes. The detective compiled a photo lineup with the man's picture in it, but the victim and witness were unable to positively identify the perpetrator. The detective is trying to locate the registered owner of the car to interview him.

The robber was described as 25 to 35 years old, 5'9" tall, weighing 170 pounds, with a brown complexion, wearing a brown leather jacket.

Then again: Just 2 days later, a 58-year-old tourist from Kentucky was robbed of her purse about 4:45 p.m. Sunday at Howard and Carondolet streets by a similar perpetrator with a similar MO. She was approached by a black man who tried to grab her purse from her arm. She struggled with the thief, who knocked her to the ground to get her purse.

He fled in a white vehicle (again, what kind??), driven by a black female. The robber was described as 5'7" tall, weighing 140 pounds.

Don't mess with the brothers: Three local black men, all in their mid-20s, were walking in the 300 block of Julia Street at about 2:18 a.m. Saturday morning when they were confronted by several other black men. One stood lookout, while another, armed with a black semi-automatic handgun which he pointed at the head of one of the victims, demanded the trio give up their "chains" (I take that to mean gold, or bling-bling, or whatever it's called in the 'hood these days). The victims complied and the perpetrators fled.

One of the victims chased the lookout dude to the 700 block of Tchoupitoulas Street where he apprehended him and flagged down a State Police car. Arrested and charged with armed robbery was Ross Flucker, 23, whose last know address is 318 Avenue A, Westwego. (The sheriff's office had no arrest information available.)

The gunman who got away was described as 19 years old, 5'7" tall, wearing a black hooded jacket and dark pants.

Some cases just don't make sense: A 27-year-old black tourist went into the 8th District police station to report he had been held up about 5:28 a.m. Friday morning in the 100 block of Bourbon Street by a man who demanded his car keys. He handed over his keys, he said, and then saw his yellow Mustang being driven down Canal Street a short time later, he said. He told the police he didn't see the perpetrator with a weapon nor did the perpetrator tell him he had one. He couldn't give a description of the perpetrator and had no information on the car.

Sometimes police don't make sense either: Police report K-32163 says a man was robbed at 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning in the 800 block of Fulton Street. The crime map links report K-32163 to an armed robbery Monday morning at 5:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Commerce Street--5 blocks away. Hmmmm? One crime, mislabeled map? Two crimes, one report short? Perhaps chalk it up to an overworked staff that did a helluva job keeping the Bayou Classic in bounds this year. All in all, it was a relatively tame weekend.

Except for auto thefts: 36 cars were stolen in the past week, 30 of them this weekend (Friday to Sunday), with 14 alone stolen on Sunday, most of them in the CBD. What happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans--including sometimes your ride.

As the saying goes: "Dress to kill" is a quaint expression turned into the name of a swank ladies' boutique at 207 Dauphine St. But there's no thought of renaming it after the phrase "Good enough to eat" following an incident there last Tuesday (11.20.07). A 23-year-old clerk attempted to stop a duo she suspected of shoplifting. A woman suspect fled on foot, and when the clerk put out her arm to attempt to stop the other suspect--a man dressed as a woman--bit the clerk on the arm and fled. Both he and the female suspect hopped in a car to make their getaway.

Based on a description by a witness, police were able to track down the car a short time later. Officers observed several new items in the car for which the occupants of the car couldn't supply receipts. The clerk from the store was unable to identify any of the merchandise as items believed missing from her store, but she did identify the man in the car who bit her.

Arrested for aggravated battery was Manuel Brown, 21, a 5'8", 145-lb. male, whose last known address is 3723 Gibson St. He has bonded out of OPP on $2,500 bail.

The car was impounded for additional investigation of the merchandise found in it.

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 11.20.07

He's on the loose again...

Beware!: One of the suspects arrested recently in the string of robberies by a gang of juveniles is walking the streets again. Marshan Bowden, 17, bonded out of OPP on 11.13.07 after being arrested 11.09.07 and charged with first degree robbery and simple robbery. Bond was set at a rather modest $20,000 on each count--an amount all but the poorest slob could raise, considering only $5,000 cash was needed.

The simple robbery charge stems from the theft of a man's bicycle at Frenchmen and Burgundy streets on 10.12.07 . The first-degree robbery charge is for a robbery 11.3.07 around 6:50 a.m. at Royal and Ursulines streets in which Bowden was identified as one of 3 black boys who slugged a man in the face and took his money.

Bowden, whose last known address is 1409 Frenchmen St., is a black boy, 6'1" tall, weighing 180 pounds. He's not due back in court until 1.10.08.

The plague of robberies by juveniles, most in the Marigny Triangle, has subsided since the arrest of Bowden and one of the juveniles implicated in the crimes. But I'd still keep my eye out for these punks who struck mostly around Burgundy and Frenchmen streets and in the 1400 block of Dauphine Street. You know what the one suspect looks like and the kid criminals range in age from 11 to 16.

Uptown tougher?: Uptown neighborhoods experienced a similar rash of robberies by young thugs last week. The big difference is that Deputy Chief Anthony Canatella, who used to command the 6th District in that area before becoming chief of operations, called in the Tactical Squad to squash the crime wave quickly. When the 8th District had that horrendous tide of armed robberies back in July, Capt. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th, and Lt. Eddie Selby, head of the 8th's investigative unit, were ordered by the top brass to put an end to the mayhem but were given no additional personnel. It's to Hosli's and Selby's credit that they were able to cobble together a force from the officers they had to cut short the crime wave.

On top of the Tactical Squad rushing to aid the rich folks Uptown, Cannatella asked the DA's office to charge the 15- and 16-year-olds they arrested as adults. Why shouldn't the same justice apply to the juvenile punks terrorizing the French Quarter and Marigny Triangle? These kids are not young innocents who don't know what they're doing--if you're old enough to use a gun, you're old enough to do big time. Most of the suspects arrested for armed robbery seem to be 17 to 19--the juveniles terrorizing our neighborhoods now are just tomorrow's criminals in training.

Serves him right: One of the thugs who beat up and robbed a tourist from Singapore in the restroom of the Au Bon Gourmet Deli at 1100 Canal St. on 10.29.07 got what was coming to him 4 days later.

Cardero Davis, 20, was gunned down in broad daylight 11.2.07 at N. Villere and Pauger streets. He was carrying a sawed-off shotgun when he met with a hail of bullets that pierced his head and body. According to police, he was pistol-whipped 2 days earlier by a group of guys and they came back to finish the job.

This bad ass apparently didn't appreciate that the new DA--when she was still in charge of deciding who to charge and not charge--decided not to charge him 9.11.07 for a whole list of charges: attempted burglary of an inhabited dwelling, injuring or killing a police dog, flight from an officer, and criminal trespass. No reason was given for dropping the charges, but street justice took care of him less than 2 months later.

Saved by FEMA: A 30-year-old Asian female from California was robbed of her purse at Dauphine and Barracks streets around 1:40 p.m. on 11.10.07 a black boy who fled into the FEMA trailer park at N. Rampart Street and Esplanade Avenue. He was described as 6' tall, wearing a white tank top and black pants.

Auto thefts soar: Only 9 cars were stolen in the 8th District last week, but in the past 2 days of this week 6 cars have already been stolen--5 in the CBD and one in the Marigny Triangle. With the Bayou Classic coming this weekend--and arriving in fancy cars--look out!

***

As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome.

Thom Kahler

Crime update 11.12.07

Two down...

...and how many more to go?: Lt. Eddie Selby's detectives hauled in one of the teenage robbers last Friday, just one day after beefing up daylight patrols in the Marigny Triangle to curb the rash of robberies by juveniles there. Only Marshan Bowden, charged with first-degree robbery and simple robbery, is not a juvenile. (He must have forgotten he had a birthday just 12 days before the crime he's charged with. Welcome to the big time little man!)

Bowden, 17, is charged in the first of several robberies, armed and otherwise, by black kids that have terrorized the Triangle for the past month. On 10.12.07 at 5:30 p.m. at Frenchmen and Burgundy streets, one of 3 punks punched a 24-year-old white guy who lives in the 3700 block of Dauphine Street in the mouth, knocking him off his bicycle. Another of the hoodlums took the bike and rode off. The young thugs were described as wearing white shirts and khaki pants--the uniform of McDonogh 35 High School.

Two days later on 10.14.07 at 2 p.m. at the same location, a gang of 5 or 6 black boys--one on a bicycle--approached a group of white women walking to a house tour were accosted. The punk on the bicycle grabbed the purse of a 30-year-old white woman who lives in the 2100 block of N. Rampart Street. The victim pursued the kid on the bike up Touro Street and retrieved her purse when its strap broke and it fell from the crook's grasp. Again, the robber was described as wearing a white muscle shirt and khaki pants.

Detectives also hauled in a 15-year-old juvenile. Other kids involved in the other robberies are believed to be the 12- and 13-year-old younger brothers of the older punks who live outside the Triangle. Bowden lived on Frenchmen Street, just across St. Claude Avenue, not far from the crime scene. Police have their eyes on 4 juveniles and are surveilling their residences in the same neighborhood to monitor their comings and goings.

Now 11-year-olds?: We have more details on an armed robbery that happened last Tuesday (11.6.07) morning about 8:20 a.m. in the Triangle. A 29-year-old white woman who lives in the 900 block of Dauphine Street was robbed just as she was about to enter her car which was parked in the 1400 block of Dauphine, just off Esplanade Avenue.

The victim turned to see a black kid pointing a chrome .22-cal. semi-automatic pistol at her and demanding "Gimme your purse!" She thought he was kidding, but he reiterated: "Gimme your f*****g purse!" and began waving the gun in a more menancing manner. She refused and began screaming to alert the neighbors to call 911.

A second black youth came around from the back of the car and grabbed the woman's purse; in the ensuing tug-of-war, the contents of the purse spilled to the ground. The 2 young punks fled up Kerlerec Street with the victim and 2 neighbors--one reported armed with a shotgun--in pursuit. The victim managed to retrieve her ID, credit cards, $50 cash and a check for $2,700; the thieves made off with the purse which still contained a pepper grinder, manicure set, and contact lens case.

The victim described one of her assailants as "a kid, not even a teenager," and estimated his age as 11 years old. He was 5'3" tall, slim with a medium complexion, a short, tight afro haircut, and wore a light-colored, possibly white, T-shirt and jeans. The other perpetrator was described as 15 years old, 5'7" to 5'8"tall, very thin, wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a red baseball cap.

Reporting streetlights out: Ambushed by queries about burned-out streetlights at last month's NONPAC meeting, Mary Cunningham of Councilman James Carter's office launched a preemptive strike at this month's meeting. Before the meeting got rolling, she outlined he procedure for reporting streetlight problems:

• Call the city at 658-2299;
• Give the exact location of the light, preferably the street address it is in front of, the pole number, and the nearest cross street;
• You will be given a reference number for future inquiries about the same problem;
  
• The Department of Public Works will send out someone to inspect the problem and repairs should be completed in 6-8 weeks.)

Or you can call her in Carter's office at 658-1030. She said she had already reported 14 problem streetlights in the French Quarter in the past week.

Fighting auto theft: Auto thefts in the 8th District (French Quarter, Marigny Triangle, CBD/Warehouse District) were down the past week, though they've already topped 300 for the year. And the way some of the thefts occur continues to boggle the mind.

"One car was taken by the girlfriend--now ex-girlfriend--of a guy here and being used by the new boyfriend in Alabama," said Capt. Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District.

And many "thefts" are reported by tourists exiting a bar too inebriated to find their vehicle. "I guess that's a blessing in disguise--if you're that drunk you shouldn't be finding your car," the captain said.

Capt. Hosli invited Peter Perrien, a former NOPD officer now with the LoJack Corp., to the NONPAC meeting to talk about ways to thwart auto thieves. He explained that a car thief armed only with a screwdriver could steal most any car in a matter of minutes; and within an hour and half of stealing it, the thief could change the VIN numbers to deter identifying it.

Calling 911 if you see someone lurking suspiciously around cars in your neighborhood is the first defense. He cautioned also to be aware of tow trucks without a company insignia on the door--they are often used to steal a car under the guise of a tow job.

Among the things you can do (as outlined in a pamphlet he made available):

Use common sense:

• Never leave leave a spare key in or on your vehicle;
• Close and lock all windows and doors;
• Park in a well-lit area;
• When at home, keep your vehicle in your garage;
• Don't leave valuables in your vehicle, especially where they can be seen;
• Never, ever leave the area while your car is running.

Use a theft deterrent device that add a layer of protection that may deter some thieves:

• An audible device like an alarm may be enough to scare off the amateur thief or make the professional choose another target;
• A visible device like a steering wheel lock (such as The Club), theft deterrent decal or window etching.

Use a vehicle immobilizer:

• Install a smart key or fuel cut-off device;
• A kill switch or starter, ignition and fuel disabler.

Use a vehicle recovery system: If your vehicle is desirable enough, the pros can outsmart just about any theft deterrent, systems like the LoJack Stolen Vehicle Recovery System can help authorities track down and recover your vehicle if it's stolen.

LoJack is a small wireless transmitter that, when your car is reported stolen, is activated and immediately indicates the location of the vehicle. Perhaps a little pricey at $695, it's a one-time fee and it stays with the vehicle for life. There are also LoJack devices for motorcycles, construction equipment and laptop computers. Capt. Hosli reported solving a recent case by tracking a laptop equipped with LoJack.

For more information, you can contact Peter Perrien at pperrien@lojack.com.

Speaking of hot cars: You might have noticed the annual parade of Ferraris through the French Quarter was not as noisy as usual this year. Capt. Hosli interspersed a patrol car between every 3 Ferraris to slow them down. In past years, their parade through the Quarter often resembled a European road race, with the cars revving their high-powered engines and accelerating rapidly; this year, the slowed-down cars were over-heating.

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As always, your comments and suggestions are welcome at NOcrimeline@gmail.com

Thom Kahler