A 19-yr-old & her sister were robbed at gunpoint while at the Legacy Apartments on Ben Hur Rd.
It happened Saturday, April 16, 2022 around 7:50pm. This is at least the second time a student has been robbed at gunpoint at the Legacy Apartments.
On Jan. 20, 2022, an LSU student was robbed at gunpoint with two pistols pointed at her as she was headed to her car to head to class in the morning.
As for Suzanna, she said as odd as it may sound, she had a feeling all day long that something bad was going to happen.
“The whole day, I was in watch mode. I just had a feeling. There was a voice in the back of my head all day long almost telling me I was going to get robbed,” said the teen, who we will refer to as Suzanna to protect her identity.
Suzanna said she and her sister, who we will call Peggy & was visiting from out of town, had been in New Orleans earlier in the day. They returned back to their apartment complex Saturday night. Suzanna said the gate at the Legacy had been broken for a few months so it was not closed.
“I saw these three men in winter clothing and it was very hot. I thought to myself that something isn’t right. I told my sister something isn’t right. I reached in my purse to get my pepper spray because I just had a feeling. As soon as they saw me reaching into my purse, all of a sudden, they were right there. He took my arm and said something like ‘Gimme your ****ing purse.’
He had my arm in one hand and a gun in the other. He pulled the gun out as soon as we met.
My sister was a little bit ahead of me. She turned around and couldn’t see the gun. She saw my face for a second. She thought we were joking and thought I knew these people. I stepped out of the way and she saw my face & the fear in my face and that’s when she realized, ‘Oh wow, this is really happening.’
I had half a gallon of water in my other hand. I took that water and smacked his head. The whole time, I wasn’t really saying anything. He pushed me to the ground and my sister hopped on his back to try to get him off of me. He pulled my shirt to the point that it ripped. I was on the ground with my cross body purse still on me.
While my sister was on his back, he said to her, ‘Tough girl, oh you’re playing tough girl.’
It wasn’t that I wanted my purse so bad. It was more principle for me that he couldn’t have what wasn’t him and not letting him win. If I probably thought about things differently now, I should have given him my purse. We really fought. It was instinct. You don’t use your head. You just act when this happens…it’s fight or flight and we fought.
He fought with me for my purse & after what felt like a long struggle, the strap to my purse broke & he finally got it.
It was probably 10 seconds, which doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s a lot when you’re in that moment. That’s when he whipped around and held the gun to my sister’s head and he said, ‘I’ll shoot’ and she got down on the ground and hit the power button on her phone multiple times so the SOS would call. When he saw that, they ran. The other two guys were just standing a ways away from us and didn’t do anything.
I’m all scratched around my armpit.
One of the three left his shoe. They also took my sister’s purse but while they were running away, they ended up dropping some of her major credit cards and stuff.
It was crazy because I had very valid thoughts. I wasn’t freaking out. I wasn’t screaming or anything. I was very calm. I was frightened at first and then went to angry but at the same time, I knew I wasn’t going to die. I wasn’t going to get shot. I knew they weren’t there to kill me. I believe they were just as scared as we were. They wouldn’t have shot. They looked very young like as early as high schoolers. I finally started screaming ‘Help.’ I was looking around and realized, it’s Easter weekend. No one is here. The parking lot was almost dead.
I just want to say, ‘Be very aware of your surroundings. When you pull up, be very aware of your car and others including your feelings.’
You hear about other robberies and you think that can’t happen to me but certainly it can. Always keep some type of weapon on you to protect yourself. You keep pepper spray in your purse, that’s not going to help you because you won’t have time to get to it. Keep it in your hands. It definitely sucks that we have to live in a world where we have to be vigilant every two seconds but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Suzanna said Legacy did send out a mass email to all residents. She is very upset with the apartment complex because despite her telling management she would like out of her lease, Suzanna said they refuse to let her out.
Several upset parents also reached out to Unfiltered with Kiran worried about their own children’s safety.
Unfiltered with Kiran reached out to Legacy in response to the incident. They are a Landmark Property. Their response:
Since this is an ongoing investigation, we decline to share specifics about this case.
The security of residents and on-site staff at The Legacy at Baton Rouge a top priority for Landmark Properties. There is no immediate threat to residents currently and we have a zero-tolerance policy for criminal activity on our property.
The Legacy always cooperates fully with any law enforcement investigation and will comply with any request to share video surveillance of an alleged crime.
To address the increased crime along Ben Hur Road, the Legacy’s property management team reached out to Darryl Grissel with Mayor’s Office and local law enforcement agencies in Baton Rouge to request a meeting to discuss a plan. This meeting has been scheduled for Friday, April 22 and will include other residential community property managers/owners on Ben Hur Rd., BRPD and EBR Sherriff’s Office.
By hook or by crook, YOU have the right to get out of that lease ASAP. Remember there was another lady who was refused to get out of her lease and someone was KILLED because of the landowner’s decision.