October 18, 2024

Man Sentenced for Arson at Hammond WalMart on Christmas Eve

Terrence Coe, age 45 and a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on October 8, 2024, by U.S. District Judge, Greg G. Guidry, to 60 months imprisonment after previously pleading guilty to arson. The Court also ordered that Coe be placed on supervised release for 3 years following release from imprisonment and pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

At around 6:00 PM on December 24, 2022, the Hammond Fire Department responded to a call for a fire inside the Walmart store located in the 2700 block of W. Thomas Street. The fire was contained to the paint aisle of the store thanks to quick-acting employees and customers who utilized fire extinguishers to put out the blaze. Despite the store being occupied by at least 500 customers and employees at the time of the fire, no one was injured and the store was evacuated safely.

Investigators quickly determined the fire was intentionally set and pinpointed a suspect seen on the store’s surveillance video. Shortly after sharing still images from that video with the media and with the public, the investigative team was able to identify the suspect as Coe. Coe reportedly admitted to investigators he set the fire in an effort to distract from his efforts to steal various items from the store.

Coe was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on December 27, 2022 on one count each of Aggravated Arson, Attempted 2nd Degree Murder, Armed Robbery and Terrorism.

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