Hired armed security guard fends off would-be carjackers

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - After three of his vehicles were broken into in a matter of weeks, a man living on St. Charles Avenue decided to hire his own armed security, who was also victimized.

“It’s concerning to think that we have this type of activity happening on Saint Charles Avenue. It’s well lit, and it’s supposed to be a secure safe haven,” says a crime victim.

In the 6000 block of St. Charles Avenue, car burglars struck over and over again.

‘We had two on St. Charles Avenue. One was in my driveway,” says the victim.

The homeowner, who FOX 8 will not identify, looked out of his window during one of the car break-ins to find an armed man.

“It’s a guy standing outside the truck as his accomplice is breaking into my truck. He’s the lookout. He’s sitting there with a pistol clear as Christmas, and he’s ten feet outside of my house,” says the victim.

It took less than a week for their security guard to fall victim to crime.

Surveillance video shows the attempted carjacking Friday night, June 17. The armed security guard was sitting in her car in front of a marked unit when two gunmen approached.

One of the gunmen opened the driver’s side door and told her to get out.

“At that point, she saw his gun and she grabbed her gun and at that point, the suspect fled and she drove off,” says the victim.

The homeowner is fed up with crime in New Orleans and says he’s considering leaving.

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“We have opportunity, but this crime thing is definitely out of control,” says the victim.

“It’s eroding the tax base. The business community is concerned about the future because our crime rate is being used by other cities that are competing for convention business saying don’t go to New Orleans, it’s not safe there,” says Rafael Goyeneche.

Goyeneche says violent crime across the city continues to rise, while the number of NOPD officers continues to go down. Over the weekend, nine people were shot and three of them died.

“People say what’s the cost of addressing the crime problem, but what’s the cost of not addressing the crime problem,” says Goyeneche.

He says action must be taken to help the NOPD retain and hire more officers.

“Unless and until the politicians step up and do something constructive to help the police department, we are going to continue to do interviews like this,” says Goyeneche.

Meanwhile, victims say crime is now a crisis in the city of New Orleans.

“The criminals are getting more brazen and it’s scary for us to think that this is where we are as a city right now,” says the victim.

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