NEW ORLEANS — A visiting couple whose truck was stolen then used in a brazen crime, came home to find they had been slapped with a red light camera ticket from the time it was missing. They say it is another stressor in the experience, which has led them to swear off another New Orleans trip until “things change.”
Minnie and Stephen Washington arrived in the city from Houston on Jan. 15. They pulled into the hotel at Harrah’s and the valet told them to leave their truck running while they unloaded their luggage. Within minutes, someone jumped into the driver’s seat and took off.
Two days later, the truck was used in a drive-by shooting in the CBD that left a man and woman wounded. The police report shows officers found the Washingtons’ truck before the shooting but, rather than recover it, they tagged it with a GPS tracker so they could track the suspects’ next moves.
After the shooting the NOPD found the truck at a home in New Orleans and arrested 20-year-old Bryceson Jones. He was booked on two counts of attempted second-degree murder as well as several other charges, including aggravated arson for allegedly torching the truck.
The experience took a toll on the couple. “I started having severe chest pains and went to the emergency room,” said Minnie Washington, “and my husband is still not sleeping.”
But as they settled back into their home and tried to forget the nightmare vacation, another reminder showed up at their door.
“I went to check the mailbox and was just shocked to see a letter from NOPD. I thought it may have been something along the lines of how they were going to help us,” said Washington. Instead, it was a red light camera ticket for $135 dollars.
According to the ticket, the truck ran a red light at S. Carrollton Avenue and Earhart Boulevard a little after midnight on Jan. 16. That was after the Washingtons reported their car stolen.
“It was another slap in the face,” said Washington. “My biggest concern was what else have they done in that two-day time span that may be still yet to come up?”
The Washingtons turned the letter over to their attorney. On Wednesday, WWL Louisiana reached out to the Mayor’s Office about the ticket. Press Secretary John Lawson said the Washingtons would not have to pay the ticket, then Minnie Washington confirmed the office reached out to her shortly after to let them know.
Regardless, the Washingtons do not plan to come back to New Orleans anytime soon. “I don't feel that the tourists are safe. And if this is how they treat their tourists, then no,” said Washington.
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