SLIDELL, Louisiana – A convicted felon and illegal immigrant living in a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana surrendered to a SWAT team following a short standoff after he assaulted a woman and began shooting an illegal gun at a residence near an elementary school.
Tam Minh Tran, an illegal immigrant who was previously convicted of a felony, was arrested by the Slidell Police Department after reports of gun shots at a residence.
When police arrived, a woman ran out of the home claiming there were multiple people still inside as Tran was discharging his weapon. Shortly thereafter, another woman fled and stated Tran was under the influence of narcotics and physically attacked her as well.
Police called in the local SWAT team, which negotiated with Tran for a short period before he surrendered into the custody of Slidell Police.
“This incident is a testament of what happens when criminals simply listen to police,” said interim Police Chief EJ Howard. “If a criminal immediately drops their weapon and surrenders, no one gets hurt and justice can be served in a civilized manner. The SWAT Team trains for dangerous and difficult situations such as this, and I’m proud that they were able to successfully bring a peaceful resolution to what could have been a very deadly incident.”
The incident occurred a block away from Abney Elementary School.
In addition to being a felon, Tran has been previously arrested 15 times for burglary, narcotics violations, weapons charges, and escape.
Tran was initially arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, as well as illegal discharge of a weapon.
Officials with the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Breitbart Texas they have put in a request for local law enforcement to notify them prior to releasing Tran.
Detectives with the Criminal Investigations Division later conducted a search warrant of the residence, where they located and seized a firearm, narcotics, and drug paraphernalia. The investigation is still ongoing and additional charges are pending at this time for Tran.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.