Bicyclists in New Orleans bumped by car, robbed at gunpoint, say cops

(CBS) New Orleans - A pair of armed robbers in a car targeted bicyclists recently in two separate incidents and got away, according to New Orleans police.

On Friday afternoon, Nov. 9, a man on a bicycle riding on an Uptown street was knocked to the ground by a car before the male driver and female passenger got out and robbed him at gunpoint, CBS affiliate WWL reported. Saturday night, bandits with a similar m.o. struck another victim on a bicycle in the Treme area, police said.

In that incident, a man was riding his bike when he was tapped from behind by a car, police reports show. A young woman got out of the car and put a gun to his head, while a second woman patted him down, taking his phone and wallet, the report states.

In addition to the similarity in the manner of attack, the woman with the gun is described the same way in both cases, said Sgt. Sabrina Richardson of the NOPD Sixth District property-crimes unit.

She is a small-framed black woman of about 20 years old with "masculine" features, wearing a red-and-white ski cap, Richardson said. Her male accomplice in the Uptown case is described only as having a dark complexion and braided hair, and the vehicle is described as an older-model compact car.

There is nothing to indicate that either victim was targeted based on any sort of prior relationship or that the robbers knew the victims in any way, Richardson noted.