A New Orleans carjacker on the run from police tried to elude capture by hiding out in the wrong yard.

A 17-year-old man who was arrested Monday after he allegedly carjacked a tow truck in New Orleans East was cornered in a backyard by a homeowner armed with a shotgun.

The suspect, Larry Pierre, faces carjacking, flight from and resisting an officer, illegal possession of a stolen vehicle, reckless operation of a vehicle and criminal trespassing.

The incident began at about 9:10 p.m. at the intersection of Boston Drive and Bunker Hill Road where the victim said he was flagged down by a male who implied that he had a gun and demanded his tow truck. The victim complied, and  the suspect fled in the vehicle.

An officer responding to the scene saw the truck turn onto Crowder Boulevard. When he began following it, the tow truck picked up speed. The officer pursued the tow truck to Dinkins and Vanderkloot streets, where two suspects exited the vehicle and fled into the neighborhood.

Officers set up a perimeter, and while they were waiting for a Canine Unit to arrive, a resident armed with a shotgun went to investigate noises coming from his backyard. As the homeowner exited his rear door, the suspect stood up and placed his hands in the air. The homeowner then escorted the suspect out of his rear yard and the officers on the perimeter him into custody.

As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to remain in your home and alert police to the possibility of suspicious behavior in your yard if you happen to think that there’s a prowler.

This would go double if the homeowner was aware of the fact that the police were in the neighborhood, had set up a perimeter, and were about to conduct a search. Not only was the homeowner potentially running the risk of encountering an armed suspect, he was also running the risk of an encounter with law enforcement officers who were looking for a suspect they believed to possibly be armed.

Fortunately, all’s well that ends well, and Pierre surrendered to the homeowner. The homeowner was then able to turn him over to police without any problems.

Larry Pierre won’t be carjacking anyone from inside his jail cell.