NEW ORLEANS — A 12-year-old boy and an 11-month-old girl survived a carjacking attempt in Algiers Wednesday evening.
The crime, which happened and in full view of a large parking lot, has left shoppers and employees of nearby stores rattled.
According to New Orleans police, a woman drove into the shopping center on Holiday Drive around 5:30 p.m. The owner of one of the stores told us she parked in front of the Ross Dress for Less. She left the two children in the car and went into a store.
Then, two male suspects came up to the car and one pointed a gun at the 12-year-old boy and demanded that he get out. He complied. The baby girl made it out of the car as well, though it is unclear who helped her.
The two suspects started to drive then stopped, got out, and ran away. Neither has been identified.
Kris Thomas, who works in the shopping center, heard the theft happen. He said what came next was a “whole commotion,” with many police officers arriving.
“She had a little baby and I was like, oh my god, it was a family,” Thomas said.
Young children have been involved in several recent car crimes in the area. In January, a car was stolen with a 6-year-old girl inside in Chalmette. In October, someone stole a truck in Lakeview with an infant inside. Both children were found unharmed.
Crimes like these have some parents leaving their children at home when they run errands. Troy Price, who was in the Holiday Drive shopping center Thursday, said he “tries to keep them out of the car” as often as possible.
“I’m sick of it,” he said of crime in New Orleans.
The NOPD has not released the suspects’ names or ages.
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