NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans teenager arrested for a spate of brutal crimes in the city may soon be facing additional charges.
Tyrese Harris, 18, is accused of killing 12-year-old Derrick Cash in January, last week’s brutal carjacking at Costco on South Carrolton Ave., and a growing list of other violent crimes in the city.
Federal agents have now filed a detainer against Harris.
“It means that there are potential federal violations, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that then prosecution is going to be totally moved into federal court,” Metropolitan Crime Commission President Rafael Goyeneche said.
The feds are stepping up their enforcement activities in the city to help address a recent spike in violent crime.
Brad Byerley is the Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency’s New Orleans field office.
“Anytime you have violence like we’re seeing, there’s always a drug nexus,” Byerley said. “Anytime there’s a drug nexus, there’s always violent crime.”
The DEA is not involved in the Harris investigation.
But the agency has just launched a data driven initiative called Operation Overdrive to help identify drug related violent crime hot spots.
“We already have identified groups within metro area that we know are violent from our intelligence gathering and we’ve already begun investigations,” Byerley said.
Tyrese Harris is also on the radar in Jefferson Parish.
“It was just shared with me that there’s some open charges, warrants for Tyrese Harris’s arrest in Jefferson Parish, right now for crimes of violence,” Goyeneche said.
Goyeneche says the fact that multiple jurisdictions may soon be charging Harris, increases the likelihood he may be prosecuted in the federal system.
“If you have cases that straddle multiple parishes like were seeing here. it may end up in federal court.
Penalties are generally stricter in the federal system.
If convicted, offenders serve at least 85 percent of their jail sentence.
Tyrese Harris now faces a long list of serious charges.
They include second degree murder, carjacking, attempted armed robbery with a firearm and gun crimes.
More counts are expected.
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