In this week's canon of criminality, a green-thumbed thief thought better of his crime, the American Flag and the Bible were stolen on separate occassions and a cookie jar and machete were among the items wielded during fights. Every week, Crescent City Crime Bits runs down the lowdown.

from NOPD reports

Thursday, August 2

Gunshots on Bourbon 2:40 a.m., 800 block of Bourbon Witnesses saw a group of three men get into a fight with a group of five men in the 800 block of Bourbon Street. During the scrum, one of the men reportedly fired a gun into the air. The two groups then got into separate cars, and fled the scene.
 

Theft of Old Glory 10 a.m, 3500 block of Elysian Fields Ave. An American flag was reported stolen from a front lawn. Later a 59 year-old man was arrested for stealing the Stars and Stripes. No word if his sentence will be reduced for patriotic crime.
 

Broadmoor Bust-Up 5 p.m., 3200 block La. Ave. Pkway.: A man was stabbed in the neck while involved in a fight.

Friday, August 3

Burn Victim Found Dead 5 a.m., 8100 block of Apricot Firefighters discovered a woman badly burned when responding to a fire. She was later pronounced dead. The incident is being investigated as a murder.
 

Plants Plucked from Nursery 9 a.m. 9100 block Airline Hwy. Green thumbed theft was suspected at the Plant Gallery when two trees, plants and a bag of mulch were found missing from the nursery. The haul was later recovered in the store's yard.

Fight Leads to Stabbing 6:45 p.m., 3300 block of Morrice Duncan Dr. Two women got into a fight in an Upper 9th Ward house. A third woman approached a 40-year-old woman involved in the fight from behind, and stabbed her in the back and in the hand.

Mugging in Gentilly 9:20 p.m., 4700 block of Mandeville Street A woman was walking in the 4700 block of Mandeville Street when two men forced her to the ground and stole her purse.

Saturday, August 4

Discount East Held Up 2 a.m., 4900 block of Downman Rd. A man walked into the store in the 4900 block of Downman Road, and hit the employee with a weapon. The man fled with money in an unknown direction.
 

Shooting in Hollygrove 3 a.m., 3300 block of Pine Street. A 21-year-old man was shot in the left leg and hip.
 

Steak Knife Stabbing 4 a.m., 7000 block of Bundy Road A drunk man stabbed his 30-year-old girlfriend in the forearm with a steak knife.
 

Holdup at Houston's 6:30 a.m., 1700 block of St. Charles Ave. A man walked in through an open back door of Houston's Restaurant, and knocked on the door of the restaurant's office. The manager opened the door, and the man held out a chrome revolver, demanding that she open the safe. The manager
handed over cash from the safe, and the man fled.

Rampart Rape Reported 9:15 a.m., 1700 block of N. Rampart A woman was sexually assaulted while visiting a friend.
 

Bike Theft in Gentilly 2:40 p.m., 3000 block of Gentilly Blvd. An unlocked, red 10-speed bicycle was swiped.
 

Seventh Ward Shooting 3:45 p.m., Elysian Fields and N. Miro A 14-year-old girl was riding in a car when she heard a loud boom. She then discovered she was shot in the leg. She was taken to Unversity Hospital, and listed in good condition.

Shooting in Hollygrove  6 p.m., Cambronne and Palm A man and a woman were approached on foot while walking in the street. The assailant brandished a handgun, and began firing. The woman, 17, was shot in the leg, while the 20-year-old was shot in the back. The perpetrator fled the scene in an unknown direction.
 

Murder in New Orleans East 7 p.m., 8600 block of Gervais Street. A 25-year-old man was found face down by police in a driveway. He was shot multiple times.
 

Stabbing with Machete 11 p.m., 2200 block of Marais Street During an argument at a house, a man pulled out a machete and stabbed a 32-year-old man in the left shoulder and forearm. The victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition. The incident occurred at 11 p.m.
 

Shooting in the East 11:30 pm., Read and Lake Forest Blvd. About 11:30 p.m., a 18-year-old man was shot in the back, head, left arm and leg.
 

Female Fight Leads to Stabbing 11:30 p.m. S. Carrollton and Ulloa Two women got into a fight at a bar around. When the dust settled, one woman, age 21, ended up with stab wounds to the face and shoulder. The other woman, age 26, was hit in the head and had a cut to the wrist.

Sunday, August 5

Aggravated Rape in the East 1 p.m., 7500 Burke A 27-year-old woman let an ex-boyfriend into her home to retrieve his belongings.  The subject later became angry, produced a gun and began hitting the woman in the face and body. The man made the victim perform oral sex and have sexual intercourse with him, then fled.

Cutting in the 7th Ward 1:30 p.m., 2000 block N. Miro Tyrone Pugh, 50, got into an argument with a 48-year-old man. Pugh grabbed a kitchen knife, and stabbed the man in the forearm. He was later arrested.

Guns, Threats and Nicknames Bandied About 7:45 p.m., 5100 block of Pauline Street, Two men known only as “Dude” and “Shank” produced handguns and threatened to shoot the victims.
 

Shakedown by Chef in Treme 11:00 p.m., N. Rocheblave and Bayou Road, when they saw a man in checkered chef pants and a matching shirt turn the corner. He produced a semi-automatic handgun and said, "Bitch come here. Don't run or I will shoot you in the back," then threw a white bag into the street and ordered the victims to fill it with their belongings.  The robber,  described as a black male, between 20 and 30 years old, about 5'11, with a thin build and wearing what appeared to be a curly hair wig and a black bandana over his face.
 

Scuffle Leads to Gunfire 10:55 p.m., 3900 block of Tulane Ave. An officer responded to reports of gunfire. While approaching the area, he saw a black silver Nissan Maxima turn onto Tulane Ave. at high speed, with no headlights on. After pulling the car over, the officer noticed a semi-automatic handgun in plain view, and a fired shell casing next to it.

The man said another man had earlier walked towards him with a black silver semi auto handgun in his right hand.. The assailant swung at him with the butt of the gun, then two began to struggle over the gun. The gun hit the ground.  The subject retrieved the gun and fired one shot at the victim. He missed. Later, he was arrested for illegal discharge of a firearm.

Monday, August 6

Shooting in Gentilly 1:30 a.m., Clematis and Wisteria Two men - ages 19 and 20 - were walking near the corner of Clematis and Wisteria, when someone opened fire on them. They were struck in the shots were fired striking the victims in the leg, back, shoulder and hand. 

St. Roch Robbery  2:15 a.m., 1200 block of Mandeville A 26-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were approached by two men, who produced a handgun and demanded money.The victims turned over the money, and the robbers fled.

Remodel Ripped Off 5:00 am, 5600 block of Woodlawn Pl. Copper pipes, a temporary utility pole and other miscellaneous electrical items were taken from the side of a house that is undergoing renovations

Kidnapping in the East 7900 Haney Blvd., 10:30 a.m., A man was reported missing after last being seen at 11 p.m. Sunday night. Family members received a call from an unknown person asking for money in exchange for his return.

Hands on the Cookie Jar 6:45 p.m., 6200 block of Curie Street A 20-year-old woman hit her cousin with a ceramic cookie jar during an argument. An arrest warrant was issued.

Tuesday, August 7

Holy Book Lifted 3:00 a.m., 1200 block of Mandolin Street A bible and a laptop computer were taken from the inside of a parked car

Break-in Through the Wall 11:15 am, 2700 block of Constitution Pl.  An air conditioning unit, light fixtures and ceiling fans were removed from a house under renovation. The thieves got in through an outside wall.

Shooting in Fair Grounds  8:30 p.m. 2700 O' Reilly  A 23-year-old man was approached from behind in the 2700 block of O'Reilly Street. A man shot him in the neck, and he was transported to University Hospital in critical condition.

Wednesday, August 8

Home Invasion/Baseball Bat Attack 6:15 a.m., 4200 block of Franklin A man was awakened while sleeping in his house by an African-American male (6’0” tall, dark complexion, with short, braided hair armed with a handgun), who demanded money. The man told the intruder where his wallet was.  The intruder then hit the man several times with a baseball bat before fleeing the scene.  The victim was transported to the hospital for treatment. Police discovered the intruder came in through an open window.

Gert Town Shooting 8:30 p.m. Olive and Short A woman was shot in the left side while in the street. She was transported to University Hospital.

Citizens with information that can help solve these crimes are asked to call CRIMESTOPPERS at 822-1111 or toll-free 1-877-903-STOP.  You could receive a cash reward for the information leading to the arrest and indictment of those responsible. You do not have to give your name nor testify to receive the reward. Citizens can also submit an anonymous tip online at www.crimestoppersgno.org