Two St. John Parish teens booked with armed robbery
Published 1:34 pm Wednesday, September 17, 2014
LAPLACE — Two teenagers were arrested Tuesday after an invitation to hang out turned into a robbery involving a gun.
St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 600 block of Main Street in LaPlace at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday when a concerned citizen called 911 to report subjects fighting. The caller said a firearm was involved.
When deputies arrived in the area, they talked to a 17-year-old male who told deputies he was the victim of an armed robbery. The victim told investigators he was walking on Main Street and met up with two males who asked if he wanted to hang out with them. After accepting their invitation, the three men walked to a house in the 600 block of Main Street. When behind the house, one of the males who asked if the teenager wanted hang out produced a handgun and told the victim to empty his pockets.
The victim surrendered $10, and after a brief struggle, the male lost control of the handgun he was holding.
The victim told deputies he then took the gun and his cousin, who was passing the area, stopped when saw the disturbance. The victim said he took the handgun and threw it where the suspects would not be able to get to it. No one was injured.
The victim told deputies he and his cousin fled on foot.
Detectives located two suspects at the residence on Main Street and identified them as William Russell III, 19, of LaPlace and a 16-year-old male juvenile from Destrehan.
Detectives arrested Russell and booked him with armed robbery. He remains in custody in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
Detectives also arrested the 16-year-old male juvenile and booked him with armed robbery with a firearm.
The juvenile remains in custody at the Assumption Parish Juvenile Detention Center. A juvenile detention hearing is scheduled Thursday in Edgard.