Teenager arrested and released to mother after attempted armed carjacking

ABBEVILLE, Louisiana (KLF) – A woman was held up at gunpoint during an attempted carjacking. The suspect, a 17-year-old man who police say previously attempted an armed robbery. The victim speaks exclusively and says that until the minor is taken into custody, she will not feel safe.

Imagine getting in your car, getting ready to back up, only to be hit and see a gun pointed at you. Well, for one resident of Stone Bridge Apartments, that was the reality when a 17-year-old attempted to steal her car. The victim, an Abbeville woman who asked not to be named, said she was on her way to the emergency room when a 17-year-old attempted to steal her vehicle. She said he pointed a gun at her window and told her he wanted her car. “When I looked over, I saw the barrel.” She said, “I didn't know what to do. I said, are you going to kill me and he said no, but he wanted the car.”

The victim says in a split second she decided to hit the gas and run away, hoping he didn't shoot her. She said that as she left her building, she called the police. It was his second carjacking attempt that night, so police were able to track the teen down and arrest him.

“I was told he was going to be taken into custody. So Saturday afternoon, I called the police station and learned that he had been returned to his mother. »

Since the 17-year-old is still a minor, his identity and the charges against him have not been released. He also cannot be placed in a juvenile center, and has been placed in the custody of his mother who lives in Metairie. Mike Hardy, Abbeville Police Chief says it's a challenge when 17-year-olds are arrested for crimes and there's nowhere to put them.

Hardy said, “If the parish prison wants to house them now because they don't have room and they don't have space for 17-year-olds, you have to come up with other ideas.” He says that right now, “all his department can do is return them to their parents.”

The victim says she was told the juvenile would have to turn himself in, but when he didn't, she began to panic. She says since the crime, she can't eat, sleep or leave her apartment at night. “He's not under house arrest, he's not monitored, he doesn't have an ankle monitor. What's the certainty he's going to stay in Jefferson Parish?”

According to her, one solution should be to make parents responsible for the actions of their minors.

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