A New Orleans family left homeless by Hurricane Katrina has evacuated to New York City and created a disturbance in Chinatown.

Reports said that the police searched the area after business owners complained that four children of the family, who were not identified, allegedly looted twice some Chinese stores on East Broadway. The four children were later discovered and arrested in Columbus Park.

According to a preliminary police investigation, the children, between eight and 14-years-old, migrated to New York with their father, an African American, after Katrina destroyed their home. Although they have been living in a shelter on Catherine Street since they arrived in the city, some business owners in the area reported to have seen them begging in the street.

Mr. Tam, who works at 27 Catherine Street, said that since September 9, the four kids have been causing troubles on East Broadway, Catherine and Henry Streets. They always banded together and tried to steal from the stores, Tam said, adding that they sometimes knocked down stacked newspapers, pilfered shoes for sale and threw them into the street. “They even looted a 99 cents store. They have evaded police many times, always getting away quickly after the disruption,” he said.

Tam said that the children came out on September 14, and stole some change from his store. When he chased them outside to the street, one of them turned around and boasted that they were under 16-years-of-age could “do whatever we want to.”

Then the next day, Tam said that the kids returned and claimed that they had a gun. On that occasion, he had called the police three times, but the children took off as quickly as they had come.

Last week, police officers, along with some merchants, searched Chinatown. The children were spotted on Columbus Park and got arrested. The kids showed no remorse or trepidation even after being taken back to the Fifth Precinct. Instead, they made fun of everything and yelled, “help!” to everyone they saw.