Violence rips the 8th

Cops in shootout: Officers Blake Terrell and Claude Daniel of the NOPD's 8th District came upon 2 men standing next to a van at 800 S. Peters St. (at Julia Street) around 3 a.m. yesterday morning (10.31.08) and arguing with the occupants. As they went to intervene, they heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash.

One of the men fled but the other began waving his gun around. The officers ordered him to drop the gun, but he refused. Instead, he approached the officers and pointed his gun at them. They fired, but missed the deranged man. Wisely, the miscreant dropped to the ground.

Police arrested Ryan Toombs, who just turned 18 on 10.2.08 and severely jeopardized his chances of turning 19.

Toombs was charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, and single counts of resisting an officer, illegal use of a firearm, and being a felon with a firearm. His bond was set at $60,000.

Girls gone wild--again: Seems the working girls of the French Quarter are getting into it an awfully lot lately. Maybe they're unionizing, or something.

Around 5:30 a.m. yesterday morning (10.31.08) at Bourbon and Conti streets, a 17-year-old black chick got into a fight with a group of several other black girls. One of them allegedly pulled a folding knife and cut the victim on the left side of her face above the eye. She was treated and released at the scene.

Officers Tyrone Mills and Adrian Chapital apprehended Savonna Stewart (left), 18, and charged her with aggravated battery. They also arrested her gal pal who was also allegedly involved in the fight, Keywanda Ashley (right), 20, and charged her with tampering with evidence.

2 for 2: 2 armed robberies within a half-hour of each other early Thursday morning (10.30.08) resulted in 2 arrests.

Out walking just after midnight, a black man was stopped by a grey Chevy Malibu that pulled along side of him at Common Street and O'Keefe Avenue in the CBD. The passenger hopped out of the car, brandishing 2 pistols and demanded the victim's money. The victim complied and fled on foot, flagging down a patrol car.

Then at 12:30 a.m., a 58-year-old black man was robbed in much the same manner at Tulane and Loyola avenues by a man in a grey Chevy Malibu.

Officers Terrance Wilson and Joseph Jefferson stopped a car fitting the description at Canal and Burgundy streets and determined the men inside where the perpetrators of both robberies.

Arrested were Manual McDonald (right), 20, 5'8" tall, weighing 160 pounds, and William Gates (left), 19, 5'8" tall, weighing 155 pounds. Both were charged with 2 counts of armed robbery. McDonald's bond was set at $200,000, but Gates' was set at only $50,000. Gates managed to bail out later in the evening to go trick-or-treating the next day.

Scumbag goes free: Police probably figured they finally had the goods on Kyle J. Anderson, 22, when the 8th District Task Force bagged him at Decatur and Frenchmen streets (just off Esplanade Avenue) in June.

Anderson--who had eluded murder charges against him a year ago--now had 12 charges lodged against him, ranging from a multitude of traffic offenses to drug and weapons charges as well as assault on officers.

But it was not to be. Anderson was set free a week or so ago (10.23.08) when the DA dropped all remaining charges against him. (The election Tuesday can't come soon enough to get a new DA in there who will, hopefully, crackdown on this crap!)

What is not known is whether the fact one of the officers who arrested Anderson last June but has since quit the NOPD while under investigation by the Public Integrity Bureau affected the ability to prosecute the case.

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

Thom Kahler