On this week's syllabus of sin, a cross-dressing thief picked up a few extra accessories, home invaders gave back a university area woman's cell phone after stealing it and summer strollers helped themselves to angel statues, a grill and a weed eater, among other items. Crescent City Crime Bits takes a tour of local wrongdoing every week:

from NOPD reports

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Armed Robbery of Shell Gas Station: 5:52am, 9201 Airline Hwy. An unknown black male entered the Shell Gas Station in Hollygrove, armed with a handgun and the usual demands. The employee complied and the subject fled.

Rodney Thornton Strikes Again: 8:40am, 500 block of Governor Nicholls. The victim was walking in the French Quarter when he was approached by a man with a gun. The subject demanded the victim’s property. The victim complied; the suspect fled on foot. Responding officers apprehended the suspect, 30-year-old Rodney Thornton, who was positively identified and arrested as the suspect in an armed robbery that occurred the day before in Woldenberg Park. He was also identified as one of the gator thieves and apprehended on July 11, after being pulled over in a stolen car with a stolen baby alligator inside, police say. He was also booked on several auto burglaries. Why he was still on the streets after multiple apprehensions, NOPD did not explain.

Armed Robbery in Filmore: 1:26pm, 1300 block of Crescent Street. Two women were sitting on their porch when two armed gunmen approached them and forced them inside their home. A third male victim at the residence opened the safe, giving the two gunmen savings bonds. The two perps fled the scene.

Shooting in Freret Neighborhood: 7:00pm, 2400 block of Valmont Street. The victim, a 19-year-old male, was sitting on a porch when an unknown black male ran from behind the bushes of a neighbor’s yard and shot the victim once in the hip. The victim refused to give information to the suspect. A witness saw the suspect – described as wearing a black shirt, baggy jeans, a red/black baseball hat with dreadlocks underneath – run from the location, enter a purple PT Cruiser, and drive away. The victim was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Roommate Stabbing in Seventh Ward: 11:26pm, 2300 block of Pauger Street. The victim, a 38-year-old man, was involved in a verbal altercation with his two female roommates. The two female roommates then held the victim down and stabbed him several times in the neck, back and rib cage. The victim was treated at the hospital.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Juvenile Shot in Gentilly Terrace: 1:34am, I-610E and Franklin. Two male victims, a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old, were shot in the leg and hip, respectively, while leaving a party in the neighborhood.

Thomas Crown in West End: 9:30am, 300 block of Eighteenth Street. A painting was discovered missing from a residence; there were no signs of forced entry.

Home Invasion in Tulane University Area: 1:30pm, 600 block of Broadway. The female victim heard someone tampering with her doorknob. As she approached the front door, two unknown black males forced their way inside the residence. One of the subjects wore a purple hat with “I Love Haters” printed on it. The other subject wore khaki shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. As the subjects forced their way inside the residence, one of the subjects produced a silver handgun and forced the victim to the ground. The subjects took the female victim’s cell phone, lap top and purse, along with the male victim’s cell phone and camouflage backpack, then fled on foot. The female victim pursued the subjects to the intersection of Hampson and Audubon, where she demanded her laptop, to which the perps complied. Then, she asked if they would return her cell phone. The perps complied. On a roll, she ask if they would give her purse back. They did not give her the purse.

Shooting in Gert Town: 5:20pm, South Carrollton and Palmetto. The victim and two male subjects exited a bus. One of the suspects produced a gun and fired it, striking the victim in the arm. Repsonding officers identified and arrested the suspects: Devonte Davis, 17, and Cordero Johnson, 23.

iPhone Snatcher in French Quarter: 10:50pm, 400 block of Dauphine Street. The victim, a 40-year-old woman, was sitting on a stoop when she was approached by an unknown black male, 5’11”, 200lbs., wearing a white shirt with horizontal stripes. The suspect grabbed the victim’s iPhone from her grasp and fled on foot.

Stabbing in Central City: 11:03pm, Baronne and Louisiana. 49-year-old Yolanda Gibson stabbed the male victim in the collarbone with a utility knife. The victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition.

Possible Crossdressing Purse Snatcher in French Quarter: 11:30pm, 600 block of Bourbon. The victim, a 47-year-old woman, was walking when she was approached by an unknown black suspect. The suspect grabbed the victim’s purse from her grasp and fled on foot on St. Ann toward N. Rampart, then unknown. The suspect is described as a black female or male wearing female clothing, 6’00”, thin build, short hair cut, wearing a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts and white tennis shoes.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Crossdressing Purse Snatcher in CBD: 12:00am, 700 block of Commerce. The victim, a 35-year-old woman, was walking when she was approached by an unknown black male, 6’00”, thin build, short hair cut, wearing a white t-shirt, blue jean shorts and white tennis shoes. The suspect grabbed the victim’s purse and fled. The suspect in this purse snatching fits the same description as the suspect in the purse snatching that occurred blocks away in the French Quarter 30 minutes prior. The victim in this purse snatching said that the suspect was indeed a male dressed as a woman.

Auto Burglary: 11:08pm, 3600 block of Franklin Ave. The front passenger-side window of a parked car was smashed; taken were the vehicle’s stereo and climate controls.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

French Quarter Hotel Burglar Wanted: Anthony Thomas, 47, is wanted by police after being identified as the burglar of a hotel in the French Quarter. He is suspected to have burglarized several hotels in the French Quarter and in the surrounding 8th District. Police say Thomas enters hotels and walks the floors checking for unsecured doors.

Grill Grabber: 1:00pm, 4700 block of Pontchartrain Blvd. A barbeque grill and a set of hand weights were taken from the rear yard of a residence.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Bleach-Out Burglar: 1:00am, 3000 block of Gentilly Blvd. The front door of a residence was forced open; bleach was poured over the victim’s clothing and sofa. Some jewelry was stolen.

Business Burglary: 2:46am, 700 block of Robert E Lee. The front glass door of a business was smashed; taken were several cartons of cigarettes, coins, a safe and the store’s surveillance video recorder.

Weed Eater Stolen: 4:08am, 4700 block of Pauger. A weed eater was stolen from the back of a parked pickup truck.

Unclassified Death in Gentilly: 12:51pm, 4823 Pauger. The female victim suffered a shot illness and became unresponsive inside her home. She was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

French Quarter Burglar Wields Sculpture: 12:53pm, 906 Dumaine. The male victim was walking into his home in the French Quarter when an unknown black male pushed him inside his residence. The burglar grabbed a sculpture and struck the victim over the head. The victim sustained minor lacerations to the back of the head. The subject fled with the sculpture. In broad daylight in the French Quarter, witnesses took pictures of the suspect walking, holding the sculpture. The next day, officers arrested 31-year-old Ronnie Tolliver and charged him with Home Invasion, Aggravated Battery, and Aggravated Burglary. 

Domestic Shooting in New Orleans East: 11:45pm, 4225 America. The male victim said an ex-female friend began firing at the victim, hitting him in the left side of his chest and his left arm. The victim was transported to the hospital.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Murder in Central City: 12:45am, Dryades and Seventh. Officers were called out to shots fired, and found the male victim lying in the middle of the street. He had been fatally shot in the head and lower abdomen.

Screwdriver to the Eye: 4:45am, 312 S. Dorgenois. In Tulane-Gravier neighborhood, two unknown males entered the residence while the male victim was asleep and stabbed the victim in the left eye with a screwdriver.

4-Foot Angels Kidnapped: 10:00am, 300 block of City Park Ave. Two 4-foot tall angel statues were stolen near the Masonic Cemetery.

Murder by Stabbing in Little Woods: 11:20am, 7400 block of Crestmont Road. A 42-year-old woman was stabbed to death in a home in New Orleans East after an argument with the perp. She was stabbed multiple times to the body. A family member inside the home called the police.

Drive-by Murder in Algiers: 4:20pm, 3700 block of Garden Oaks Drive. A silver vehicle drove by the victim, Ernest Causey, 19, and opened fire upon him. Causey was shot several times outside the apartment building where he was standing. A police officer driving in the area heard gunfire and advised the dispatcher. The officer drove in the direction of the gunfire and entered the apartment building to investigate, where he found Causey’s body. Causey had made his way into the apartment building after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and died on the scene.

Shooting in Irish Channel: 6:07pm, Louisiana and Magazine. The male victim was standing on the corner when two unknown males started firing at each other. The victim was caught in the crossfire and sustained gunshot wounds to the left knee, shoulder and finger.

Drive-by Shooting in Iberville Projects: 6:25pm, 1500 block of Iberville Street. Two men were walking when a gold SUV with dark tinted windows pulled up and opened fire on them. One of the victims was shot in the arm; the other was shot in the leg. Both were taken to the hospital in stable condition.

Murder by Stabbing in Algiers: 9:00pm, 900 block of Belleville Street. A 53-year-old man was stabbed multiple times during an argument and died on the scene.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Armed Robbery in Mid-City: 10:30pm, 416 S. Scott Street. The male victim was approached from behind by a black male and a black female armed with a handgun. The perps demanded the victim’s wallet, cell phone and keys. The victim complied. The perps fled in the victim’s vehicle.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Shooting in Pines Village: 1:45am, Chef Menteur Hwy and Downman. In New Orleans East, unknown subjects were shooting at each other when the male victim, a bystander in the fray, was shot in the left side. The victim was taken to the hospital by private conveyance.

Home Burglary in Gentilly Terrace: 10:30am, 5100 block of St. Roch Ave. The side door of a residence was forced open; taken were a video game console and a laptop computer.

Armed Robbery in Seventh Ward: 9:29pm, New Orleans and N. Tonti. The victims, a 40-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man, were approached by two unknown males demanding their purse and money. The victims complied; the perpetrators fled.

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