NEW ORLEANS — A brazen daylight carjacking at a New Orleans East gas station was caught on video Thursday that shows two children jumping from an SUV as it's being stolen. One child's foot was also run over as the carjacker drove off.
Seconds before, it appears that the carjacker had been thrown out of another car after possibly trying to steal it while the owner was filling up with gas.
The New Orleans Police Department said the carjacking happened around 1:50 p.m. at a gas station in the 7900 block of Chef Menteur Highway.
In the video obtained by WWL-TV, a man can be seen in the top right of the frame approaching the driver's side of his car before he realizes somebody is inside. He opens the door and grabs the woman, getting into a fight with her before the attempted carjacker flees. She then walks across the parking lot and out of frame before returning and jumping into the driver's seat of an SUV parked in front of the store.
Seconds later, a pair of children jump out of the back seat. The first child manages to run away before the car drives off, but the second, smaller boy appears to fall as the car begins moving. His foot is crushed by the car's tire as the carjacker drives away.
The children's mother told WWLTV's Meg Farris they were 11 and 8 years old, and the boy's leg wasn't broken. It's purple and swollen.
An employee at the gas station said they called 911 before 2 p.m., but New Orleans Police Department officers didn't make it there until 5 p.m. New Orleans Emergency Services called back about four hours after the incident to see an ambulance was needed.
"They said 'do you all still need someone,'" she said. "His leg could have been broken. I held him in my arms for 15 minutes. He was shaking."
According to an NOPD spokesperson, the delayed response was because authorities determined that the victims weren't "in immediate danger."
"As the incident was deemed a non-life-or-death situation, an officer was not immediately dispatched. An officer was dispatched at about 5:06 p.m. and, upon arrival and investigation, the incident was re-classified as an unarmed carjacking," the spokesperson said.
Police say they are looking for the woman, as well as the car: a 2020 Nissan Rogue with the Louisiana license plate 329DVO.
Kids jump from carjacked car in New Orleans East
Anyone with information about the carjacking or the alleged perpetrator is asked to call the NOPD seventh district detectives at 504-658-6070. They can also report information anonymously to Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
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