NEW ORLEANS — A New Orleans teenager linked to a series of brutal crimes in the city has been linked to other crimes in Jefferson Parish.
Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joe Lopinto tells WWL-TV that 18-year-old Tyrese Harris was involved in four different crimes as well as a group of auto thefts in Oakwood Park in Metairie last month. Lopinto said that investigators believe Harris is one of several suspects caught on camera during the burglaries, but he was not identified as one of the suspects until he was arrested in New Orleans.
Harris was arrested on Sunday following a brutal carjacking at a Costco. While being questioned about the carjacking, Harris also allegedly confessed to being involved in the killing of 12-year-old Derrick Cash who was found fatally shot and left for dead on a New Orleans East road.
In January, Lopinto announced that three people were arrested following a string of car burglaries near Oakridge Park in Metairie. Investigators believed the men were part of a larger, brazen group of people stealing cars and guns in Jefferson Parish and New Orleans.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that Harris was “no stranger” to the city’s criminal justice system and at one point was involved in the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center which seeks to steer juvenile offenders away from a life of crime.
Police have linked Harris to at least one other carjacking in New Orleans. Records show that he was also arrested following an armed robbery in August 2021, though that case was later refused by prosecutors in New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams’ office. Williams said the charges could not be accepted because a victim chose not to participate in a post-arrest investigation.
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