By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A 19-year-old LaPlace man was arrested early Thursday after he allegedly attempted to rob two men with an air-soft pistol as they sat in a parked car near the St. John Civic Center late Wednesday, said a spokesman for the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The two victims, a 19-year old Garyville man and a 27-year-old Kenner man were able to overpower the suspect, identified as Demario Harris of 95 Moss Drive, after he entered their vehicle from a rear door, said Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office. The victims’ names were not released.

Clement said as the victims sat in their parked car around 11:38 p.m., Harris drove up in another car, exited his vehicle, pulled out a black air-soft pistol and entered the victims’ car from a rear door.

A report from the Sheriff’s Office said Harris demanded the victims’ money and cell phones at gunpoint. Clement said the two men refused, and a fight ensued inside the car.

The two victims were able to overpower Harris and force him out of the car and to the ground, according to the report. Authorities said the victims were not previously acquainted with Harris.           

Clement said when deputies arrived they found Harris lying on the ground with injuries to his eye that were sustained during the struggle. Harris was transported to River Parishes Hospital, where he was treated and released into Sheriff’s Office custody. 

Harris was booked into the Sherman Walker Correctional Center in LaPlace on two counts of first-degree robbery. He is being held in lieu of a $200,000 bond.