New Orleans police arrested a wanted man in connection with a series of robberies and a shootout in the neighborhood near Tulane University after he barricaded himself inside a house in that area on Monday morning.
Philip Barbarin, 24, surrendered to the police after a five-hour standoff with heavily armed police at block 2100 on Audubon Street, officials said. No one was injured during the clash and no shots were fired, a police spokesman said.
Police claimed on Monday that Barbarin was involved in up to seven robberies, including at least four that have taken place near the Tulane campus since Saturday. One of these robbery victims – described as an affiliate of Tulane – was shot. Another was hit but was not hit, police said.
An unidentified man was shot on Sunday night in the Audubon area, according to New Orleans police.
The first of these robberies was reported on Saturday morning, when two men held a victim near the corner of Lowerline and Willow Streets, police said.
The two men then approached another man on the corner near Lowerline and Oak Streets and reportedly stole his wallet and cell phone. The man – who was not affiliated with Tulane – started to flee when one of the thieves shot him, police and school officials said.
Philip Barbarin
On Sunday night, around 9:40 pm, a man with a gun robbed two people affiliated with Tulane University two blocks away on Broadway Street, police and school officials said.
One of the victims – a 21-year-old man who was arrested at the corner of Broadway and Green – delivered unspecified goods and was not injured. The other victim, a 20-year-old man, tried to escape and was shot. Police said paramedics took the injured man to a local hospital for treatment.
Police superintendent Shaun Ferguson said the officers were in the neighborhood for a follow-up investigation into the wave of robberies over the weekend, when a car theft occurred on Broadway’s 1900 block around 8 am on Monday. Law enforcement officers located the stolen vehicle, as well as Barbarin, on Audubon block 2100.
Barbarin, who was suspected of robberies and shootings over the weekend, ran into a house on that block when the police approached, said Ferguson. Ferguson said he was not sure if Barbarin lived there, but if not, he may have met someone who lived, according to the superintendent.
At around 9:30 am, members of the Police Department’s Special Operations Division – or SWAT team – surrounded the house.
A neighbor who was able to see the house where Barbarin was hiding described how officers equipped with long weapons, helmets and bulletproof vests isolated the street outside for several hours. There was also an armored vehicle on site and someone was using a loudspeaker to address people inside the fenced-in house.
At the beginning of the impasse, at least two people left the house with their hands up, were handcuffed by the police and taken for questioning. Neither did Barbarin, and the standoff continued.
At around 2:30 pm, the neighbor who could see the house where Barbarin was located heard “many men moving … and shouting.” Officers were soon seen taking Barbarin in handcuffs – in a gray long-sleeved T-shirt and black running pants – away from the scene.
The resident, who was told to stay at his home, said he and his neighbors applauded when Barbarin was in custody.
“Excellent police work,” said the resident in a text message.
Barbarin faces charges of armed robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault with a firearm, aggravated second-degree assault and debit or credit card fraud.
“This individual is a very violent individual,” said Ferguson.
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