Suspects in Metairie clothing store robbery named, including man who fell to death($500shirts)

http://www.nola.com/crime ^ | 4/8/18 | Laura McKnight

[BBell]

A LaPlace man has been charged with armed robbery in the holdup at a high-end Metairie clothing store that led to a police pursuit Wednesday night that left one man dead and two others in custody.

George Simon, 36, faces more charges in the case, said Joseph Lopinto, Jefferson Parish interim sheriff, at a news conference Thursday (March 8). According to officials, Simon confessed to the robbery and named his accomplice as Ron Walker, 53, who died after he jumped from an Interstate 10 overpass during Wednesday's police chase.

A third man in the car, Simon's stepson, 20-year-old Tahj Boatman, was not involved in the robbery, Lopinto said, but faces less serious charges in connection with the police chase.

Both Simon and his stepson were injured in the chase, with Simon suffering a dislocated hip, officials said. Simon received treatment at a local hospital before he was booked into the St. John the Baptist Parish jail.

The two robbery suspects entered Jeff's Haberdashery in Metairie, at 3321 Severn Ave., just after it opened around 10 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

The robbers ordered two staffers and a customer to the ground as they grabbed armfuls of expensive merchandise, including shirts that retail at $400 to $500, an employee said.

The stolen merchandise is valued at roughly $60,000, officials said Thursday, as they displayed some of the recovered clothing, along with an assault-style rifle used in the robbery.

Store employees told investigators that they recognized Simon from visits to the haberdashery during the past few years, Lopinto said.

Simon has a criminal history that includes thefts targeting high-end retail stores. Many of his prior arrests have been on drug and battery charges, but he was also booked in the 1990s with an attempted first-degree murder, Lopinto said.

[BBell]

These are the $400 and $500 dollar shirts. They look like something a New Orleans pimp would wear to go with his pearl handle revolvers.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office showed these shirts at a news conference as examples of high-end merchandise stolen during an armed robbery at Jeff's Haberdashery on Wednesday.(Laura McKnight, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

[GunsareOK]

High end? Looks like stuff from the thrift store.

[longfellow]

Here’s the problem, no one plans a robbery anymore.

[Kirkwood]

I think the clientele is made up of NFL and NBA players and drug dealers.

[boomop1]

$60000.00 a little insurance inflation.

[Pollster1]

They look like something that Michelle Obama would wear. No one I know dresses like that, and I know people who almost exclusively wear bespoke custom-tailored everything.

Someone must be screaming for eye bleach after that. I'm
certain at least one person has that reaction because it's me:

[Fido969]

Live fast, die young... and leave a well-dressed corpse.

[Pravious]

As ugly, loud and tasteless as that stuff Michelle is wearing, any of it is about 100x better than Hillary’s usual wardrobe (and, no, that’s not a call for photos! LOL).

[Rastus]

Don’t you know about the new fashions, honey?
You can’t dress trashy ‘til you spend a lot of money
      — Billy Joel

[familyop]

Notice that the weapon in the photo is not an AR-15. It looks like some kind of custom built AK variant.

[DannyTN]

That reminds me of seeing a sale on suits back in the 80’s. I purchased one and the sales reps started showing me $30 ties. I said, I’d never pay more for a tie than I’d pay for a shirt.

Without hesitation he showed me a $70 shirt.

I bought the suit and no accessories.

[TigersEye]

That would explain the bizarre description “assault-style” rifle in the article.
The jorno-gandist didn’t know what it was but, hey, scary!

[kaehurowing]

He was studying to go to medical school.

[Rome2000]

Yeah, this business wasn’t selling jack.

Probably a mob money laundering front like that Italian suit place on Tchoupitoulas and Julia.

[Rome2000]

Thank you

[Pollster1]

You’re welcome.

[SaveFerris]

[They look like something a New Orleans pimp would wear]

[Drew68]

Notice that the weapon in the photo is not an AR-15. It looks like some kind of custom built AK variant.

Century Arms Zastava PAP Pistol (.223 Rem)

[DocRock]

Gravity...one law that Ron Walker couldn’t break.

[originalbuckeye]

A woman who is built like a horse should never wear such ‘busy’ clothing.