NEW ORLEANS — Car burglaries are a big problem around the New Orleans area. But in the city, they’re one of the NOPD’s top priorities.
It should be no secret to neighbors that the thieves could be cruising their neighborhoods’ streets. Initially, it was common for the car burglars to simply pull door handles and check for unlocked cars to rummage through. More recently, there have been a list of high profile cases with the thieves smashing the windows of cars.
And now, in about a one month period, the NOPD reports at least five pistols have been stolen during car burglaries. The problem is the latest one profiled on the Wheel of Justice.
What could happen when a car burglar gets a gun? Perhaps ask the man who confronted a team of them early Sunday morning near the corner of Jena and Deneel. Surveillance video recorded the sounds of gunshots. Fortunately, the homeowner wasn’t hurt. But last May, a man who got into a gunfight with a car burglar on Cleveland Avenue was shot and killed.
Area law enforcement agencies are urging people to remove their valuables from their cars, especially firearms. The Saint Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office even posts a frequent reminder in the evening on its social media pages.
To find out more about the firearms that have been stolen recently and the locations where the crimes happened, click on the video toward the top of this page.
If you have information that could help police find whoever is responsible for the firearms thefts in this report, call CrimeStoppers at 504-822-1111. You don’t have to reveal your name or testify in court, and you could be eligible to earn a cash reward.
So far, more than 410 people have been booked after their cases rolled on the Wheel of Justice.
