NEW ORLEANS - The mother of an alleged teen carjacking suspect is speaking out after making the difficult choice to turn her son over to authorities Thursday morning.
“He's all I have. I'm all he has. My kids are my everything. I get up and go to work every day. I work six days a week,” said Ryan Davis’ mom, who asked not to be identified by name and for WWL-TV to distort her voice.
A mother's love is unconditional, and in Davis' case, his mom made a heartbreaking decision early Thursday morning after recognizing her son in surveillance video released by Kenner Police connected to a carjacking. She had to turn her son over to authorities fearful he'd be killed or someone else might get hurt.
The teen who had been in hiding from authorities finally agreed to go with his mom to the New Orleans Police Department turning himself in.
“It was very heartbreaking because I saw the look in his face,” said Davis’ mom.
The Seventh Ward woman asked us not to identify her but says she had enrolled her son into the "Youth Enrichment Project" in the past and he was signed up for the City's Job1 program this summer. However, despite trying to keep Davis out of trouble she says the teen once again got caught up with the wrong crowd.
“No matter what you do for your children, no matter what you give your children, when they get caught up with the wrong people. It’s very sad,” said Davis’ mom.
Court documents obtained by Eyewitness News show Davis was convicted in a different armed robbery back in 2015 which was adjudicated last month. The documents show Davis was sentenced to eight months with credit time served and released from custody.
“A little after five weeks of his adjudication for that first armed robbery. The police have arrested him in a string of other armed robberies, using a firearm including carjackings,” said Rafael Goyeneche with the Metropolitan Crime Commission.
When it comes to armed robberies, adults and juveniles have different sentencing guidelines. As these latest charges against Davis wind their way through the criminal justice system, the Orleans Parish district attorney's office will decide if the 15-year-old is tried as an adult.
“So now the prosecutor is going to decide. Do we give the juvenile system another bite at the apple? Or in the interest of public safety, do we transfer this case to criminal district court and do we prosecute this case as an adult?,” added Goyeneche.
“We have not done everything that we need to do to invest in the kinds of re-entry services that help young people come home to their communities and succeed,” said Joshua Perry with the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights.
Organizations like the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights says more steps need to be taken in the community to prevent juvenile offenders who return home from being re-arrested.
“We need to make sure we're providing adequate education, strong mental health care, vocational training, and we have to be especially careful when those young people are coming out of custody,” added Perry.
While Davis waits for his day in court, his mother says not a day goes by where she doesn’t stay up worrying about her son and his uncertain future.
“At the end of the day, I don't love my son no less than I did when they gave him to me, 15 years ago,” said Davis’ mom.
Police believe Davis and at least three accomplices are connected to a series of armed carjackings, armed robberies and attempted armed robberies. The NOPD says the cases are all under investigation.