According to authorities, a Jefferson Parish judge refused to lower the bail of three teenagers who were arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies and kidnappings in Metairie and Terrytown.
In Jefferson Parish Magistrate Court, Jose Lopez Cruz Jr., 18, Andy Lopez Sarmiento, 19, and Jordy Campbell Moldanado, 19, all from Metairie, made their appearance for a preliminary hearing. The hearing was conducted by Criminal Commissioner Paul Schneider.
Detective Peyton Wilkie from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office revealed during his testimony that the arrests made were linked to a string of robberies that took place from April to August. In these incidents, drivers were targeted while inside their vehicles and were sometimes forced at gunpoint to move to the back seat. They were then driven around before ultimately being forced out of their vehicles.
According to Wilkie, Jose Lopez Cruz admitted to being involved in all four incidents. The first incident occurred on the morning of April 3 outside of a bar in the 4400 block of Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie.
A masked suspect on a bicycle and three or four other people approached the victim as he was sitting in his car around 9 a.m. One of the suspects was armed. The victim was then coerced into the back seat by the suspects after he exited his vehicle.
The suspects allegedly drove the man around for a while before stopping about two miles away, according to Wilkie. They then demanded money from the victim, who complied and handed over cash. After that, the suspects let the man out of the vehicle before driving away. It is important to note that only Lopez Cruz was charged with the initial robbery.
Six days later, another attempted holdup was reported on Richland Avenue in Metairie, according to Wilkie. It happened in the 3700 block when a woman, waiting to pick up her boyfriend around 11 p.m., noticed three male suspects walking in her vicinity and made eye contact with them.
The three individuals, dressed in dark attire and ski masks, approached. According to Wilkie, one of the suspects first tried to break the car window with his elbow and then made an unsuccessful attempt with the rifle. Fortunately, the woman managed to accelerate away before they could gain access.
According to Wilkie, investigators were able to connect Lopez Sarmiento to the attempted holdup after they discovered a live shell casing at the crime scene that matched the ammunition found during a search of his Sanford Street home.
On July 3, a third robbery was reported on Lake Villa Drive. At around 2 a.m., a man was sitting inside a vehicle parked behind an apartment building. Suddenly, two individuals wearing ski masks approached him and demanded that he exit the vehicle at gunpoint, as confirmed by Wilkie.
According to Wilkie, the victim was unable to provide the robbers with any money. Consequently, the suspects departed the scene, leaving the man stranded on Mistletoe Street in New Orleans’ Hollygrove neighborhood. Not only did they abscond with his car, but they also took his wallet and cellphone.
Lopez Sarmiento and Lopez Cruz were charged with the Lake Villa robbery.
Authorities have accused all three suspects of participating in the most recent robbery, which occurred shortly before 3 a.m. on August 5th near the intersection of Carol Sue Avenue and Rue Marcel in Terrytown.
A silver BMW suddenly blocked the two women’s path as they were driving in the area. Startled, they witnessed four masked male suspects swiftly exiting the vehicle. Alarming reports suggest that at least one of the suspects was armed.
According to authorities, the suspects forced the women out of the stolen car and told them to throw away their purses. Detectives managed to locate the BMW and identified Campbell as the driver.
According to Wilkie, detectives carried out surveillance and saw Campbell pick up Lopez Cruz and Lopez Sarmiento before they entered the house on Sanford Street.
On August 8 and 9, all three individuals were apprehended. Lopez Cruz was charged with four counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and attempted armed robbery. His bail was set at an amount exceeding $1.7 million.
Lopez Sarmiento faced charges of armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping, and attempted armed robbery. The bail amount set for him exceeded $1.2 million.
Campbell faced charges for two counts of armed robbery and had his bail set at $500,000.
On Tuesday, Schneider made the ruling that there is sufficient probable cause to keep all three individuals in custody as they face charges.
