NEW ORLEANS — A 17-year-old with a history of violence escaped from New Orleans juvenile security officers Monday and then committed a carjacking, leading to the New Orleans police to issue a department-wide bulletin to aid in his capture.
New Orleans police identified the juvenile as Carlos Taylor, 17. The NOPD stated that Taylor had been arrested Friday and booked with aggravated assault with a firearm, illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile, illegal use of a weapon, and aggravated criminal damage to property, the NOPD said.
Taylor’s birthday is listed as Sept. 17, meaning he recently became an adult in the criminal justice system, but raising questions about the dates of the earlier crimes for which he had been booked.
Authorities confirmed Taylor was responsible for an unarmed carjacking in the 1100 block of Florida Avenu near the LSU Dental School directly after the escape.
New Orleans Police issued the following statement about the escape: “The NOPD is aware of this event. And OPCD has issued an alert on all NOPD channels to be on the lookout for this individual.”
Authorities say that juvenile jail officers chased Taylor but lost track of him after he scaled a fence and crossed nearby I-610. The multi-story dental school is directly on the other side of the interstate from the juvenile lockup and court complex.
According to Juvenile Court Judge Candice Bates-Anderson, Taylor had been taken to court Monday. He escaped while being escorted back to the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center.
The juvenile had been ordered to be detained at his court hearing, Bates-Anderson said.
WWL Louisiana has requested more information from authorities about the alleged carjacking.
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The suspect, who turned 17 earlier this month (Sept. 17), has a prior criminal history and was recently booked in a carjacking and attempted murder, authorities said.
His official charges from his Friday (Sept. 20) arrest include:
- Aggravated assault with a firearm
- Illegal possession of a handgun by a juvenile
- Illegal use of a weapon
- Aggravated criminal damage to property
The juvenile had been ordered to be detained at his court hearing, Bates-Anderson said.
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