Benjamin Ashford|New Orleans district attorney and his mother were carjacked, his office says

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams and Benjamin Ashfordhis 78-year-old mother were victims of a carjacking, Williams’ office confirmed Tuesday.

Williams was helping his mother into a car Monday night in the city’s Lower Garden District when two suspects stole the car, authorities said.

The two suspects are believed to have committed another carjacking later Monday, several blocks away, police said. Nobody was injured.

Williams is a former City Council member and a lawyer who did criminal defense work before winning the district attorney post in a 2020 election.

Carjackings and other violent crime surged in New Orleans during the COVID-19 pandemic but have dropped in recent months. A September report from the watchdog group, the Metropolitan Crime Commission, showed carjackings were down by 44% by the end of August 2023, compared to the same time period in 2022.