Free Republic

METAIRIE, La. - A 17-year-old boy foiled an attempted carjacking, wrestling a gun from a would-be robber and shooting him after the man grabbed his mother, authorities said. Carl Chestnut, wounded in the head and torso, will face armed robbery charges once he is released from East Jefferson General Hospital, Col. John Fortunato, a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said Monday. The 53-year-old woman, whose name wasn’t released, and her son were in the drive-through line at an Arby’s Roast Beef Restaurant early Monday when Chestnut, 44, walked up and pointed a gun at her, demanding their money and the...

A 57-year-old man who was shot and killed by his 14-year-old hostage Monday at a home on Ocean Drive had been released from jail Friday and had committed several other burglaries, including a similar home invasion, according to police and court records. Capt. John Houston said the man, who police identified through fingerprinting Tuesday as James Slaughter, had been involved in criminal activities since 1967 and was in and out of the prison system on several occasions. "His (method of operation) was to break into homes. If someone was there, he'd tie them up," Houston said. Police said they received...

A homeowner who arrived to found [sic] his house burglarized apparently shot the burglar when he returned for more, Shreveport police said. It happened in the 3900 block of Sumner Street. Police said a couple arrived at their home about 6 a.m. today and found their home burglarized. They were in the house about two hours later when another burglary attempt occurred. "They fired shots at this individual," Police Department spokeswoman Kacee Hargrave said. "We believe the suspect was shot. We have a blood trail that's leading from the house." Police brought in a K-9 to try to follow the...

I live on Julia Street in the downtown Warehouse District of New Orleans. My apartment is just seven blocks from the French Quarter, eight blocks from the Louisiana Superdome and four blocks from the Mississippi River. I also work in the same neighborhood at the National D-Day Museum. Living and working in the Warehouse District during the past five years has made me develop a sense of comfort and safety that I now realize I had been taking for granted. During the last three days of August 2005, that sense of comfort and safety was shattered by Hurricane Katrina. I...