Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams' office has refused charges on as many as 19 people arrested for illegally carrying weapons on Lundi Gras.
The accused were released from custody on the condition they surrender their firearms.
Among those arrested included LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, another man arrested on a felony gun possession charge was also released.
The refusal of charges came one day after the New Orleans Police Department said they'd confiscated over hundred weapons from people on parade routes as part of a program to stem violence.
Raphael Goyeneche, President of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, said this action is completely out of place for a District Attorney.
“I’ve never seen a prosecutor do this. If a prosecutor did this without the knowledge and approval of their boss, which is the DA, I would be surprised if they still had a job the next day," Goyeneche told WWL-TV.
“These are people that the police determined they did not have a concealed carry permit, were in violation of state law and they made the arrest. So, they did their job, but the District Attorney’s office in my opinion didn’t do their job," Goyeneche told the broadcaster.
Speaking to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, Goyenche called the action an extraordinary step: "I’ve never seen that done to this extent before, arguing that refusals should happen after a formal case screening, not before."
The charges these people were arrested on are not small charges, either.
Illegal carrying of a weapon has a maximum penalty of a $500 and six months in jail.
One step up from that is illegal carrying of a weapon with a controlled dangerous substance. That is a felony carrying a five year prison sentence and up to a $10,000 fine.
Jeff Asher with AH Analytics reports that 26% of all people arrested on carrying charges and reached a disposition had been refused for prosecution by the DA's Office.
“These are people that the police determined they did not have a concealed carry permit, were in violation of state law and they made the arrest. So, they did their job, but the District Attorney’s office in my opinion didn’t do their job," Goyeneche told the broadcaster. "In some of the cases, the arrests may not have been lawful under the probable cause standard which means those arrested subjects were entitled to receive their firearms back."