Robbery involving choice of woman’s dog or purse “did not occur,” police say

An unusual robbery reported earlier this month in which a woman said she was forced by armed robbers to give up either her dog or her purse has now been determined to have been a false report, New Orleans police said.

The victim had told police she was walking her dog near Fig and Live Oak streets in Hollygrove on Saturday, March 3, when two men riding together on a bicycle confronted her. According to her account, they demanded her dog, but she refused, so one of them said he had a weapon and took her purse instead, police said at the time.

“The men then instructed the victim to walk away and threatened to kill the victim and her dog,” the woman told police, according to NOPD reports.

As the investigation into the robbery continued, however, detectives with the Uptown-based NOPD Second District “learned that the incident did not occur,” according to a new report.

“The victim admitted to experiencing audio and visual hallucinations,” the report states.

Further details were not immediately available. 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.