AMY SZPARA

LAPLACE – Two men were arrested and two others are being sought after allegedly attempting to carjack a vehicle in the LaPlace housing development Saturday morning, authorities said. Travon G. Williams, 19, 188 E. 26th St., Reserve, was booked with armed robbery, hit-and-run driving, possession of stolen property, felony flight to avoid arrest, resisting arrest by violence and no driver’s license. Donald R. Brown, 20, 2299 Elm St., LaPlace, was booked with armed robbery, possession of stolen property and resisting an officer by violence. Both are being held at the Sherman R. Walker Correctional Center in LaPlace. Along with two others who are still being sought, Williams and Brown are accused of trying to carjack a 1982 Oldsmobile Cutlass on Joe Parquet Circle at the housing development. According to Capt. Mike Tregre of the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, authorities received a phone call at 6:15 a.m. from a woman living on the 400 block of Birch Street saying someone was beating on her door. Deputies arrived to find Craig James, one of the victims of the carjacking, trying to get help. He had run from the carjackers. According to James, he and Billy Barney were driving through the LaPlace Oakes development looking to buy crack cocaine when the carjackers approached them. The four suspects were driving a Champagne-colored Dodge Neon, and they blocked the street to keep James and Barney from leaving the area. One of the suspects made the two men get of the Cutlas, while another pointed a gun at Barney and robbed him of about $50, Tregre said. James managed to get away and run for help, and after the suspects stole money from Barney they let him go. Deputies arrived on the scene and spotted the Neon going into another neighborhood. All four of the suspects got out of the vehicle and ran when they saw police, and the deputies captured two of the four. The other two had not been found Tuesday morning. Authorities later learned Barney had escaped harm free and had arrived back at his home in St. James Parish. Until then they had not known what had happened to him after the robbery. After arresting the two suspects, Tregre said authorities found out the Neon was stolen property from Jefferson Parish.