NEW ORLEANS, LA – Tyrese Harris, 20, of Orleans Parish, will spend the next 45 years in federal prison after being sentenced Tuesday for a brazen six-month crime spree terrorizing the Eastern District of Louisiana. U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey handed down the sentence after Harris previously pleaded guilty to a five-count superseding indictment, bringing an end to a reign of violence that left one victim seriously injured.
The charges against HARRIS included conspiracy to commit carjackings (Title 18, United States Code, Section 371), two counts of carjacking itself (Title 18, United States Code, Section 2119(1)), using a firearm during a crime of violence (Title 18, United States Code, Sections 924(c)(1)(A)(ii) and 2), and carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury (Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2119(2) and 2). The crime wave began August 19, 2021, and continued until February 1, 2022.
The first incident occurred in the 600 block of Washington Avenue, where Harris and his accomplices threatened a victim with a firearm and stole their vehicle. Just two days later, police located the stolen vehicle with Harris and three others inside, leading to a high-speed chase that ended with a crash. The group was apprehended, but Harris didn’t learn his lesson. On January 18, 2022, Harris and his crew attempted another carjacking at a Howard Avenue gas station, even firing his weapon at the victim and their vehicle during the attempt.
The final, and most brutal, act in Harris’s spree took place at a Costco on S. Carrollton Avenue. On February 1, 2022, Harris and his co-conspirators carjacked a vehicle while the victim was pumping gas, then dragged the victim along with the car, inflicting serious bodily injury. The attack brought the full force of federal law enforcement down on Harris and his associates.
“TYRESE HARRIS is now off to federal prison for the next forty-five (45) years,” declared U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. “His six-month reign of terror, in the Eastern District of Louisiana, is now at an end.” Evans lauded Assistant U.S. Attorney Inga Petrovich and the entire law enforcement team for securing the conviction and lengthy sentence.
The investigation was a joint effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the New Orleans Police Department. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between federal, state, and local agencies. Harris will also serve 5 years of supervised release and pay a $500 mandatory special assessment fee after completing his 45-year sentence.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Violent Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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