By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – St. John authorities are investigating a pair of armed robberies in the LaPlace area this past Friday, said a spokesman for the St. John Sheriff’s Office.

Maj. Mike Tregre, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said the robberies are unrelated because they do not appear to be similar and because they occurred several hours apart.

The first incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. Friday, when three men were robbed at gunpoint in the 200 block of Fir Street.

According to a report on the incident, two Alabama men, ages 30 and 36, and a 20-year-old LaPlace man were meeting female acquaintances at a home on Fir Street when three black males armed with guns approached them from the bushes.

The gunmen ordered the victims to the ground and proceeded to take the victims’ wallets. The suspects also made off with a watch, other assorted jewelry, and a shirt from one of the victims. The suspects, who were described as being dressed in all black, then fled the scene in a black Chevrolet Lumina.

Tregre said the victims, whose names were not released, were meeting three women whom they had met at a local club a few hours earlier. He said that the victims had been invited over when the robbery took place. He also said investigators are looking into the possibility that the women might be involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, detectives are investigating another incident that occurred later that afternoon outside a restaurant in the 1100 block of West Airline Highway in LaPlace.

Tregre said a 40-year-old LaPlace man was held up at gunpoint by a light skinned black male with a thin mustache. The victim said he was getting into his car after paying for an order inside the restaurant when the suspect approached from behind.

Tregre said the suspect ordered the victim to empty his pockets. The victim handed over an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect, who was described as wearing a black t-shirt, black jean shorts and white tennis shoes, fled the scene on foot in an unknown direction.

Anyone with information on either incident is asked to contact the St. John Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-6338.