Louisiana man detained following parking lot robbery

A 19-year-old Louisiana man is in custody following an alleged armed robbery on Nov. 28 after being identified in a photo lineup. Police say the incident happened around 2 a.m. in an apartment parking lot. The man is one of two believed to have been involved.

According to the individuals who were robbed, they dropped off a co-worker after work and were getting into their car when they were approached by two other individuals. The two other individuals allegedly had handguns and took an iPod, wallets, jewelry, a cell phone and car keys.

One of the individuals who was robbed claimed to recognize one of the individuals who committed the robbery. The individual believed that person had been at a retail outlet. On viewing store surveillance video, the individual confirmed that the person who committed the robbery was the person on the video.

If the man in custody is charged with a crime, he may wish to work with an attorney. In a similar case, there may be several options for defense. For example, when two or more individuals are involved in a crime, it may be possible to testify against the other individual in exchange for a lighter sentence. This may be particularly helpful to the prosecution if the other individual has committed significantly more serious crimes.

Another deal that might be worked out is a plea bargain. In a plea bargain, an individual works with the prosecution to plead guilty to some charges. This may result in fewer penalties.

The man might also deny involvement and plead innocent. During the course of the trial, it may be possible to cast doubt on the eyewitness identification. Eyewitness accounts in criminal trials are sometimes shown to be inaccurate.

Source: WAFB, “Man arrested for holding up victims in apartment parking lot“, Michelle McCalope, December 18, 2014