NEW ORLEANS – A man wearing a face mask and jacket similar to the ones worn by NOPD officers allegedly pulled over a vehicle and made off with the driver’s handgun.
Two unidentified suspects driving a white or silver SUV with red and blue flashing lights on the dashboard and front grill pulled over a vehicle around 11:45 p.m. on December 7 near Louisa Drive and Stephen Girard Avenue, according to the NOPD.
One of the suspects exited his vehicle and approached the stopped motorist. The suspect was wearing a mask with an NOPD badge patch on the front and a jacket with an NOPD badge on the left side.
The suspect asked the driver for his license and insurance information before asking if he had any weapons in the vehicle. The driver handed over a green Taurus handgun to the suspect, who said he was going to return to his vehicle to check the gun’s serial number.
Instead, the fake police officer and his accomplice sped off with the victim’s gun. A similar incident occurred about 30 minutes later in the 1700 block North Dorgenois St., according to the NOPD.
In that second incident, an SUV pulled in front of a vehicle driven by a 31-year-old man, and three armed suspects got out of the SUV. The suspects identified themselves as NOPD officers before robbing the victim.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the pictured vehicle or the subjects is asked to contact Third District detectives at (504) 658-6030 or call anonymously to Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP. Citizens may also email information to NOPDTIPS@nola.gov.