NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — The 24-hour Auto and Tire Repair shop, located on North Claiborne Avenue in Tremé, was seized by police following a multi-month investigation led by the ATF and New Orleans Police Department.
“It was a haven for criminal activity,” said Director of the District Attorney’s Office of Data-Informed Community Engagement Daniel Shanks.
“Shooting after shooting, armed robbery, drug dealers, assaults,” District Attorney Jason Williams said. “Yeah, this place was running the gambit. I don’t know that there were any arrests for illegal gambling, but there certainly were rumors of everything under the sun happening behind us over the course of a number of years.”
After years of receiving complaints from residents about the shop and its surrounding area, several agencies launched an investigation and area crime stats were pulled for review.
“The data showed that it was one of the riskiest places in New Orleans. You were 28%, more likely 28 times more likely to be the victim of violent crime at the corner of Claiborne and Esplanade. When we looked at the actual crimes that were occurring within this corridor, we found that over 46% of the incidents were coming from the 1200 block of Claiborne,” Shanks said.
Just two years ago in September, a manager working the night shift at the shop was shot and killed, adding to the long list of crimes committed in and around the business, leading police to officially fence it off.
“These guys did thorough investigations and got strong cases that could stand up to an Orleans Parish jury,” Williams said. “So, we can make sure that what happened here yesterday has a good ripple effect on this community. it isn’t just moving that web of criminality down the block.”
Williams says it’s pivotal to look at places not just people when it comes to crime.
“It’s not enough just to say we want to see communities, we want to see businesses grow, but we have to make sure that we’re creating an atmosphere and an environment, where they can grow and where they can foster,” Williams said.
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