Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
LAPLACE, La. (WGNO) — A pair of teenage brothers are behind bars in St. John the Baptist Parish after detectives say they tried to carjack a man, then pistol-whipped him when the man refused his belongings.
Sheriff Mike Tegre says the incident happened around 5 p.m. Friday (May 12) when deputies were called to the 400 block of Madewood Road in Laplace for a report of a carjacking involving two suspects, one of them armed.
The victim, a 62-year-old man, told deputies he was sitting in his truck when two male suspects wearing dark clothes and hoods approached him from both sides of his vehicle. The suspect on the driver’s side opened the door and pointed a gun at the man, ordering him out of the truck and demanding his wallet.
When he refused, the victim said he was pistol-whipped by the suspect on the passenger side of the truck, then grabbed by his shirt by the suspect on the driver’s side in an attempt to pull him out. We’re told the victim was later treated for minor injuries.
The suspects ran away when the victim yelled for help, however, the two left behind a trail of black socks, black boots, black clothes, and a ski mask. The items were found scattered along Madewood Road as deputies searched for the two.
The sheriff says a search of the area by the St. John SWAT team and surveillance video helped locate the two suspects about a half-mile away on Dominican Drive.
It was then learned the suspects were brothers, ages 16 and 17 — one from Lake Charles and the other from Laplace, respectively. Both were arrested and booked on the following charges.
16-year-old male | Lake Charles, LA
- Aggravated battery with a dangerous weapon (felony)
- Armed robbery with a firearm (felony)
17-year-old male | Laplace, LA
- Armed robbery with a firearm (felony)
- Principal to aggravated battery
The two are being held at the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility.
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