An image of a red 1997 Acura CL similar to that taken in a robbery on Louisiana Avenue Parkway that remains at large, police say. (via NOPD)
Jerrod Jacobs (via Orleans Parish Jail)
Jerrod Jacobs, 22, was arrested Tuesday morning after being identified by detectives in connection with a July 5 carjacking in the 3500 block of Calhoun Street, said NOPD Second District Lt. Jennifer Dupree. The victims had parked their 2013 gray Toyota Corolla around 1:30 a.m. when two assailants confronted them with handguns, forcing them out of the car and driving off in it, the reports at the time stated.
Although Jacobs was arrested, the car has yet to be located, Dupree said. Vehicles taken in armed carjackings or even simple automobile thefts frequently turn up a day or two later, abandoned in a remote neighborhood, stripped of any valuables, and littered with random trash, illegal materials or even worthless items stolen in other cases. Sometimes, they are even burned to destroy any potential evidence police could have gleaned from them.
A white Kia Sorrento similar to that taken on Palmer Avenue. (via NOPD)
- A white 2006 Kia Sorrento with license plate “YJP 500” taken July 6 in the 1900 block of Palmer Avenue.
- A red Acura CL with a Texas temporary tag taken in a July 8 robbery in the 3600 block of Louisiana Avenue Parkway. The victim originally told police he was meeting an online acquaintance to buy a Coach bag, but has since stopped cooperating, Dupree said. Police are now looking for Chaze Davenport, 19, as someone they would like to interview about the case, though he is not currently considered a suspect.
- A gold Camry driven by the suspects in an armed robbery at Lowerline and St. Charles Avenue. While this car is not believed to be stolen, it is registered to a Monroe address that is now vacant, and investigators are still looking for it as well.
- A silver Nissan related to three connected incidents in the 4400 block of Fontainebleau on June 26, the 4900 block of South Liberty on July 1, and moments later in the 1800 block of Marengo. All three incidents had the same vehicle described, Dupree said.
Chaze Davenport (via NOPD)
In some cases, the criminals may simply be hanging on to the vehicles longer and using them — Dupree noted that one recent suspect was located in a car that had been missing for more than a month, and he had been believed to be using it the entire time. Other suspects have suggested they are selling the cars, possibly for parts, but police have not been able to locate any new enterprises trading in stolen car parts recently, Dupree said.
“I don’t know what they’re doing with them,” Dupree said after a recent Tuesday meeting of the Second District’s ranking officers. “Even our stolen cars, we’re not recovering them. I don’t know where they’re taking them.”
Anyone who notices an unfamiliar, possibly abandoned car on their block should report it to police as a suspicious vehicle, Dupree said, so dispatchers can run the plates to help determine if it stolen. Cars parked in unusual places off the street should be especially suspect, she said.
“If it’s sitting in an abandoned lot or house, it’s probably stolen,” Dupree said.
Meanwhile, yet another vehicle was taken in an armed robbery Tuesday night, initial NOPD reports show. A woman in her 40s was getting out of her car in the 2400 block of General Taylor Street around 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, when two assailants approached from behind, according to the report in that case.
“One of the subjects ordered her to the ground and the other subject hit her on the left side of her face with a handgun,” the report states. “The subject ordered the victim to give them her car keys and she complied.”
The gunmen drove off in the car, a red 2011 Nissan Altima with licence plate “TVH 295.” The report does not indicate whether it was recovered afterward.
Anyone with information is urged to call the NOPD Second District station at 658-6020 to speak to a detective, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.
