New Orleans Police say two suspects are in custody after a suspected carjacker took a shot at a Levee District police officer this morning in New Orleans East.
According to New Orleans Police Superintendent Shaun Ferguson, a vehicle that had been carjacked around 8:00 a.m in the 10,000 block of Saigon Drive. was used in a second carjacking around 10:00 a.m. near the UNO campus at Leon C. Simon Drive and Founders Road.
"Orleans Levee District police responded to the incident and located subjects in the reported stolen vehicle," said police. "At that time, at least one subject reportedly fired upon the officer at the intersection of Bullard Avenue and Barrington Drive."
Cops then swarmed the area and began hunting for suspects, quickly apprehending one. Nearby Bishop McManus Academy went into lockdown as police closed off streets and set up a perimeter to search for more suspects.
"Fortunately, no one was struck" by the gunfire, said Chief Ferguson.
The chief said the second vehicle involved continued on until crashing at Morrison Rd. and Gannon Rd., and a second suspect, a juvenile, was arrested.
UNO sent the following messange to its students:
Today at approximately 10 a.m., a student was the victim of a carjacking in the Lafitte Village parking lot. A white Honda Accord, with the Louisiana license plate 186-COL, pulled up next to the victim’s vehicle. One of the three masked suspects got out of the back seat of the Accord and demanded the victim’s car. The suspects drove away in both cars. The Accord had been reported stolen elsewhere in New Orleans earlier today. UNOPD and NOPD put out an immediate alert with the vehicles’ information. The victim’s vehicle was recovered less than an hour later.
To further discourage these types of crime on campus, effective immediately, the UNOPD will close the entrance/exit at Founder’s Road and Leon C. Simon until further notice. If you need to access the west side of campus, please use a different route. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are willing to take whatever measures necessary to ensure a safer campus.
As always, if you see any suspicious activity on campus, please call the UNOPD at (504) 280-6666.
