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Would-be carjackers runaway from car with manual transmission, reports say

The masked men got in the car and tried to drive away, but they were stopped by the car's manual transmission.

NEW ORLEANS — Two men wearing ski masks tried to take a 58-year-old man's car at gunpoint Friday morning in New Orleans' Central Business District, but they ended up running away because they couldn't drive a car with a manual transmission, reports to police said.

Two men wearing ski masks approached their victim in the 600 block of Loyola Avenue, near the Hyatt Regency Hotel around 9:43 a.m., reports to police said.

One of the masked men was armed and told the victim to hand over his wallet and keys, according to the New Orleans Police Department's Major Offense Log, a list of crimes reported to police that are pending confirmation via investigation.

The masked men got in the car and tried to drive away, but they were stopped by the car's manual transmission.

The men couldn't navigate the stick shifter, so they ran away — taking nothing more than the victim's wallet.

A recent citywide survey shows that during the first six months of 2021, violent crime – homicides, non-fatal shootings, car-jackings and armed robberies – increased citywide by 47 percent over the same period in 2020.

The most alarming spike was car-jackings with a 101 percent increase, followed by non-fatal shootings with a 64 percent increase. Homicides are up 27 percent, while armed robberies edged down by 6 percent, the study shows. 

RELATED: Carjackings double, violent crime up 50 percent in first half of year in New Orleans

Anyone willing to share information that can help police in the investigation can call CrimeStoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free 1.877.903.7867

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