From staff reports
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — A couple was robbed at gunpoint Saturday evening while renovating a home in LaPlace.

St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 2500 block of Virginian Colony Avenue at 8:59 p.m. Saturday, where the victims, a 39-year-old man and his 27-year-old girlfriend, both from Metairie, said two men robbed them.

The male victim told deputies he and his girlfriend were working in a house under renovation when two men walked in, one carrying an aluminum bat and the other a handgun.

“When the two men demanded that they give up their money, his girlfriend started screaming, and the man with the bat struck (the female victim with the bat) in her stomach and in her back as she fell to the ground,” a release said. “The male victim gave his wallet to one of the perpetrators, and they fled from the house in an unknown direction.”

Authorities described the assailants as black males each having medium-length, dreadlock hairstyles. Each was dressed in all black clothing.

The female victim was taken to an area hospital for medical attention, authorities said. Her condition is unknown. Authorities said the male victim was not injured, adding the couple was not targeted specifically.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery is asked to call the sheriff’s office TIPS line at 985-359-TIPS or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.

Residents who call Crimestoppers do not have to testify in court and may qualify for a cash reward.