By ROBIN SHANNON

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – Two armed robberies over the past two weeks have St. John Sheriff’s deputies searching for suspects.

The most recent incident occurred January 7 when a 57-year-old Metairie man reported to police that three men approached him as he was leaving a business in the 700 block of West 5th Street in LaPlace around 7:30 p.m.

According to a Sheriff’s Office report, the victim said a black male, armed with a gun, wearing dark clothing and a red bandana over his face moved toward him and demanded his wallet, while a white male in dark clothes removed the wallet from the victim’s pocket. A third man dressed in a dark shirt and pants stood by and watched.

After acquiring the wallet, the suspects fled the scene in an unknown direction. The report said that the wallet was found near the scene of the incident by deputies investigating the call. An undisclosed amount of cash was missing, but the rest of the contents of the wallet were still intact.

St. John Police are also investigating a January 4 robbery that took place in the lobby of a Best Western Hotel located at 4289 Main St. in LaPlace.

Deputies on the scene spoke to the lobby clerk who said two black males approached the hotel desk and demanded money from the register.

The clerk said one man, wearing a grey and white camouflage jacket, produced a gun and forced the clerk to open the register. A second man, wearing a navy blue cap, sunglasses, and a dark short-sleeved shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt, stood by and watched.

The clerk said the armed robber took an unknown amount of money from the register, and both men fled the lobby in an unknown direction.

Maj. Mike Tregre, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, said investigators do not believe the robberies are related, but are looking into that possibility. He said no injuries were reported in either incident.

Anyone with information that could lead to an arrest is asked to contact the St. John Sheriff’s Office at 985-652-9513.