By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff’s deputies are investigating a pair of weekend robberies in the LaPlace and Garyville areas, according to a spokesman for the department.

The first occurred Friday at about 11:40 p.m. when a group of teenagers reported they were robbed at gunpoint.

Capt. Dane Clement, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office, said the group of seven, which ranged in age from 15 to 19, told deputies they were standing on Jackson Avenue when a man walked up to them with what was described as a long-barreled gun.

According to a report on the incident, the unidentified gunman told the group to empty their pockets. The victims surrendered a cell phone, a watch, a baseball cap and a pair of shoes, Clement said. He said the suspect then walked north on Jackson Avenue and eventually out of sight. The group fled to the 8800 block of Richmond Drive and contacted police. No one was injured during the incident.

Clement said the suspect was described as a male subject, 5-foot 8-inches tall, weighing about 140 pounds. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants.

The second robbery happened Sunday some time before 2:45 a.m. The victim, a 29-year-old Garyville man, walked into River Parishes Hospital with an apparent head wound, Clement said. The man told a deputy he was walking on Little Hope Street in Garyville when two male suspects hit him on the head and stole his money. The two men walked away in an unknown direction.

Clement said there is nothing to indicate the incidents are related. Anyone with information regarding either incident should call the St. John Parish Sheriff Office at 985-359-8769 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.