String of burglaries strike Gentilly businesses

NEW ORLEANS, La.- It’s the second time in less than two months that Big Shirley’s Restaurant in Gentilly has been robbed.

The front entrance door at Big Shirley’s restaurant on Elysian Fields Avenue is covered in black fingerprint dust from the New Orleans Police Department.

The owner, Mike Dummett received a call from NOPD Sunday around 2 a.m. stating that the business alarm had gone off.

When he arrived, he found the steel door damaged and flat screen tv inside the restaurant was stolen.

Dummett isn’t alone.

The owner of Chinese Tea Garden, Wauing Lee, describes how men with guns came into his business while customers were inside.

“Two guys came in the kitchen hold a gun, rob us in the kitchen. I tell the people run because they got the robber in the kitchen,” said Lee.

Lee had surveillance cameras that captured the suspects and investigators are reviewing the video.

Business owners at the corner of Elysian Fields and Filmore want to ask Chief Ronal Serpas if the crime camera at the intersection is working.

“And to make things worse to find out we have four or five police officers patrolling the district. So if anybody could give me the answer Chief Serpas, Crime Commission, Commander Dean, how many police officers are on the street at a given period? That’s all I’d like to know, if it’s not enough here then I’ll camp out at my restaurant at night shotgun, pitbull and german shepherd and wait and deal with whatever happens afterwards, that’s what it’s getting to,” said Dummett.

A spokesperson with the New Orleans Police Department says they won’t be able to provide Fox 8 with the information about how many robberies have taken place in Gentilly and if that crime camera is working until Monday.

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