NEW ORLEANS — Less than 24 hours after the high-profile carjacking of New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams and his 78-year-old mother, police arrested an 18-year-old in connection with the armed heist. Following his arrest late Tuesday afternoon, Raymond Rochon also was booked in three prior auto thefts for which arrest warrants had been issued.
Late Wednesday afternoon, a New Orleans magistrate found probable cause to hold Rochon on criminal charges and set his bond at $120,000.
Rochon’s attorney Michael Kennedy argued for a lower amount.
“Now obviously we all know what my client is actually accused of which perhaps was not the charge on the docket before the court today, but I’m sure there was no way that was not taken into consideration,” Kennedy said.
According to court documents, Rochon was picked up near his home in the 7600 block of Brevard Street on Tuesday, in the Little Woods neighborhood.
Police say they tracked a stolen Dodge pickup truck, allegedly used in the carjacking, to Rochon’s home.
Court documents indicate, as officers were reading Rochon his rights, he interrupted and said, “I know why y’all are here…y’all’s people had been got,” a reference to DA Williams.
Williams was not in the courtroom for Richon’s hearing.
Tuesday he said he was rooting for the NOPD to make a quick arrest.
“We live here,” Williams said. “We are citizens here. We want New Orleans to be safe. We always, we want the police to win. We want the police to catch the people who are making us unsafe.”
Questions remain, however, about why law enforcement did not attempt to locate and arrest Rochon on the prior warrants, one of which was issued in May after police say his fingerprints were found in a Hyundai Elantra that was stolen from Gentilly in April and later recovered.
Rochon is accused of being one of the men who approached Williams and his mother with guns drawn near Magazine and Race Streets in the Lower Garden District, around 10, Monday night.
Williams was walking his mother to his black Lincoln Navigator to drive her home. She was already in the passenger seat when two masked men demanded that he give up the vehicle.
Rochon is also accused of a second armed carjacking about 30-minutes later. Police say he also stole a woman’s vehicle at gunpoint in the 1800 block of Carondelet.
Rochon is now facing a list of charges for Monday night’s crimes, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, illegal possession of stolen things and illegally carrying of a firearm. Investigators say he had a 9-millimeter Glock in his front waistband when he was arrested. He reportedly placed the gun on the ground and surrendered to police.
Rochon’s attorney expects his client to eventually be booked on more serious charges stemming from Monday’s crimes.
“I would assume there will likely be either an armed robbery with a firearm or a carjacking charge, at least one if not more,” Kennedy said. That’s what we’re anticipating.”
Police also arrested a juvenile. He is charged with auto theft. Williams told police that at least three people were involved in taking his car.
In the previous crimes, Rochon was booked with a laundry list of charges stemming from auto thefts in April and July.
Kennedy said Rochon is not expected to bond out of jail.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.