St. Bernard Parish has seen a surge in violence after a recent shootout in Chalmette that led to the arrest of three teens, with local authorities still on the hunt for a 26-year-old suspect. The 15-year-old and 16-year-old suspects have each been slapped with multiple counts of attempted second-degree murder, while Marcus Hartzog, 17, is facing a charge of principal to attempted second-degree murder, according to WDSU.
A warrant has been served for Jesse Mondy, the alleged adult participant in the Chalmette incident. Authorities aim to directly question him on the accusations that deem him as being principal to attempted second-degree murder and child endangerment. The shootout took place on Saturday, around 11:45 a.m. in the 3500 block of Kings Drive. The St. Bernard Sheriff's Office dispatched deputies to the scene after reports of gunfire were called in; although they found no people upon arrival, they uncovered several spent casings.
The investigation relied heavily on Real Time Crime Center footage, which allowed authorities to identify Mondy as the one who allegedly drove the blue Jeep Compass from which gunshots were fired. Both the pedestrian and passengers in the vehicle exchanged gunfire, escalating the altercation to a dangerous exchange where not only the brawlers but innocents, like the child discovered in a car seat through which a bullet had nearly passed, were placed in imminent peril. The Jeep was later found near Mondy's house in the 9100 block of Amour Drive, as stated by NOLA.com.
Sheriff James Pohlmann described a tense incident where a vehicle driven by Mondy approached a person on Kings Drive, leading to a sudden outbreak of violence. The street quickly became chaotic with gunfire. A 15-year-old pedestrian and a 16-year-old passenger are now formally charged with attempted second-degree murder. The older teen, Hartzog, is considered a key figure in the violent events.
The Sheriff's Office has urged anyone with knowledge of Mondy's whereabouts, or any additional information that could aid the investigation, to come forward. Tips can be submitted to the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office at (504) 271-2501, the Criminal Investigations Bureau at (504) 271-TIPS or 8477, or to Crimestoppers GNO at (504) 822-1111, as per WWLTV
