Victim shoots thief during carjacking in New Orleans, police say

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A recent carjacking victim took matters into his own hands, shooting at two people attempting to steal his vehicle in New Orleans.

According to a law enforcement source, two suspects, both 17 years old, approached a 48-year-old man in the 500 block of Louisa Street around 6:58 p.m. on Thurs., April 14 demanding his property at gunpoint. The victim complied, police say.

As the suspects were fleeing, the man pulled a gun and fired, striking one of the thieves in the neck. Police say the second carjacking suspect then drove the wounded suspect to a hospital.

Sources say the pair ended up at Tulane Medical Center where two handguns were recovered. One of the guns was reported stolen.

“The neighborhood is tired of the crime and they’re tired of no response from the city,” neighbor Michael Ferweda told FOX 8.

Ferweda says fellow Bywater residents have tried for years to beautify the neighborhood, but they feel alone in their attempts.

“When the number of carjackings, robberies, and smash and grabs are to the numbers that we see, it’s sad,” he said. “It’s really sad to see this in our city and the reason why it’s occurring is because there isn’t anything being done about it.”

Tourists arrived at a nearby Airbnb just as the event unfolded.

“This is not good for business. It’s not good for the neighborhood. It’s not good for our tourism,” Ferweda says.

“It’s a bad situation all the way around,” Roy Markey says. “It’s a repeating scenario every day. We are hearing about carjackings all over and it doesn’t matter where you are. That’s the big problem.”

Police have not released any more information about pending charges for the 17-year-old suspects.

Violent crime has been raging in New Orleans over the last week. Over 25 people have been shot, and seven have been killed since last Friday.

In one recent car burglary attempt, a man rigged a flashbang in his center console to deter would-be burglars.

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