Tag: Canal Street

Demolition permits filed for three buildings adjacent to the Hard Rock Hotel

Permits were filed to demolish a handful of structures near the Hard Rock building, according to the Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates (VCPORA).

Demolition permits were filed for three addresses, according to VCPORA, and they include: 1019 Canal St., 1027 Canal St. and 1022 Iberville St.

The permits for the Canal properties show they are “located in the Red zone” of the Hard Rocket Hotel at 1031 Canal St. and demolition of the structures are “necessary to facilitate demolition operations and planning required” at the partially collapsed building.

The Hard Rock Hotel partially collapsed on Oct. 12 at 9:12 a.m., according to various reports, killing three workers, injuring dozens more and strewing debris near the intersection of Canal and North Rampart streets.

Several videos of the collapse emerged hours later on social media.

The cause of the collapse is still under investigation.

A partial implosion of the building on Oct. 20 toppled the construction cranes, leaving one dangling and the other crashing down onto North Rampart Street.

But the remainder of the building remains standing. The hotel project reportedly cost $85 million.

The two Canal street buildings are owned by LLCs registered to the same officer and manager of the Hard Rock property, VCPORA said.

The developer listed for the Hard Rock building and adjacent properties is listed as 1031 Canal Development LLC, which wants to demolish the 18-story Hard Rock building and adjacent structures.

The demolition requests will appear for approval before the Jan. 8, 2020 meeting of the Central Business District Historical District Landmarks Commission.

“We seriously question the need for further removal of this block and are trying to find out more,” VCPORA said on its Facebook page Dec. 18.

The Oct. 12 collapse killed Anthony Magrette, 49; Quinnyon Wimberly, 36; and Jose Ponce Arreola, 63.

The bodies of Wimberly and Ponce were reported to still be trapped inside the rubble, according to The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate.

The newspaper reported that relatives of those who were killed in the collapsed have filed lawsuits against the groups behind the construction–including 1031 Canal Development LLC and Citadel Builders.

Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma, a Honduran national and Hard Rock worker who survived the collapse and later voiced his concerns to investigators, was deported on Nov. 29, WWLTV reported.

Group of women sought in connection to stabbing on Canal Street

Images courtesy of the NOPD.

A person was stabbed multiple times on Canal Street Dec. 20 following a a verbal altercation with a group of four women, the New Orleans Police Department said.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:52 a.m. in the 800 block of Canal St., the NOPD said, when the group of women engaged in a verbal argument with the victim shortly before the encounter turned into a physical altercation.

One of the women reportedly used a sharp object to stab the victim multiple times before fleeing the scene, the NOPD said.

The NOPD released surveillance camera footage of the suspects on Dec. 26, which is pictured above.

The victim was listed in stable condition on Dec. 26, the NOPD said.

Anyone with information on the incident and the identity of the incident is asked to contact NOPD Eighth District detectives at 504-658-6080. Anonymous callers can contact Crimestoppers GNO at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 877-903-7867.

NOPD arrest two men connected to Dec. 1 Canal Street shooting that injured 12 after college football game

LaBryson Polidore, left; Stafford Starks; right. Picture courtesy of New Orleans Police Department.

New Orleans police arrested two men in connection to the Dec. 1 shooting on Canal Street that injured a dozen people, including the suspects.

The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) on Dec. 10 arrested 21-year-old Stafford Starks and then on Dec. 11 arrested 22-year-old LaBryson Polidore, who the NOPD said was injured in the shooting.

Polidore was arrested in the Baton Rouge area, according to the Associated Press.

Both men are suspects in the shooting that occurred among a crowd of people shortly before 3:30 a.m. in the 700 block of Canal St., the NOPD said. The incident happened on the Sunday following the 46th annual Bayou State Classic football game.

Ten people were initially reported injured at the scene, not including the shooters, the NOPD said.

The NOPD’s capture of Starks and identification of Polidore came with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals, FBI, ATF, the St. Mary and Iberville parish sheriff’s offices, the Louisiana State Police and tips submitted to Crimestoppers GNO.

The Iberville and St. Mary parish sheriff’s offices provided “vital assistance” during the investigation, the NOPD said.

Through a process of corroborating Crimestopper tips, the NOPD said, investigators issued arrest warrants for Starks and Polidore after they were positively identified as shooters in the incident.

Investigators learned that the shooting stemmed from a feud between Starks and Polidore in St. Mary Parish, the NOPD said.

The NOPD said search warrants served on Dec. 10 revealed two additional individuals who were involved in the shooting reported their injuries to a medical facility in St. Mary Parish.

One of them was identified as Polidore, who was shot in the foot. The other is a 23-year-old man, who sustained a gunshot wound to the leg.

Starks was booked into the St. Mary Parish jail just after 1 p.m. on Dec. 10. and currently awaits extradition to Orleans Parish. He faces charges of attempted second degree murder, illegal carrying and discharge of a weapon and obstruction of justice, the NOPD said.

Online records show that Polidore was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Jail on Dec. 11 with no bail posted.

The NOPD said Polidore faces 10 counts of attempted second degree murder, illegal carrying and discharge of a weapon and obstruction of justice.

The investigation is ongoing.

The NOPD requests that anyone with information regarding this incident to contact Homicide Unit detectives at 504-658-5300, or to call anonymously to Crimestoppers GNO at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 877-903-STOP.