On a night when the city celebrated the
New Orleans Saints' victory in
Super Bowl XLIV to its maximum capacity, crime in New Orleans largely subsided, with citizens overcome by camaraderie and unbridled glee.
The New Orleans Police Department reported only two violent incidents --
a triple shooting and a stabbing -- in the city as thousands took to the streets to celebrate the Saints' Super Bowl victory. Both of the incidents took place shortly after midnight in the French Quarter.
"Considering how many people were there, it was a good night," officer Garry Flot said.
The championship celebration in New Orleans was tame compared with postgame mayhem in other cities over the years. After the Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2004, dozens of people were arrested for rioting, and a college student was killed when a car was driven into a crowd of revelers.
Countless people clogged the Quarter and the surrounding areas, with revelers eager to share drink and cheer at the city's most popular party spots. Police had beefed up patrols and staffing in preparation for the crowds.
The shooting took place about midnight at the corner of
Bourbon and Iberville streets. Officers found three people -- a 25-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and a 36-year-old woman -- bleeding from gunshot wounds to their legs, police said.
Paramedics transported the trio to LSU Interim Public Hospital in stable condition.
The victims, who told police they were standing with a crowd when they heard gunshots, were treated and released, according to a NOPD news release.
At 1:35 a.m., a man told police he was stabbed near
Bourbon and Conti streets. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, said Jeb Tate, spokesman for New Orleans Emergency Medical Services.
The city's EMS department also increased staffing to deal with a surge in calls for service.
"With no incidents of civil unrest, the vast majority of our calls were related to Saints fans celebrating a little too much," Tate wrote in a news release.
Click to expand...
