Quick arrest follows robbery at Rally’s on South Claiborne

The Rally’s fast-food restaurant on South Claiborne Avenue was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night, but investigators arrested a suspect in the case before morning, New Orleans police said.

Around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, a man later identified as 27-year-old Antonio Smith walked up to an employee in her late 20s outside the Rally’s at 2201 South Claiborne Avenue and ordered her to open the door, but she refused, according to the initial NOPD report.

“The suspect then showed the victim a firearm and she screamed,” the report states. “The suspect fled to the front of the business and forced his way in the window. He grabbed the cash register and fled.”

Smith was later identified and arrested, the report states. He is charged with armed robbery with a firearm and aggravated assault, and no bond has been set, according to online jail records.

Anyone with additional information in the case is urged to call the NOPD Sixth District station at 658-6060 to speak to a detective, or CrimeStoppers at 822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.