Job News | Big and Dangerous U.s. Gangs Making Alliances in Other States and Countries

Job News | Big and Dangerous U.s. Gangs Making Alliances in Other States and Countries: "25,000 or more gangs currently operating in the U.S. and more than 1,000.000 active gang members. Most current gang members in the U.S. are believed to possess automatic AK 47’s, shot guns, hand guns, other weapons such as explosives and police report confiscating more and more bullet proof vests. Gangs conduct all sorts of criminal activity in all 50 states, U.S. territories, Mexico, South America, Afghanistan and else where. Although most gang activity is concentrated in major urban areas, gangs also are proliferating in rural and suburban areas of the country."

Project Folkstone focused on a “criminal organization” involved in a cross-border gun smuggling operation that specialized in trafficking illegal guns

Project Folkstone focused on a “criminal organization” involved in a cross-border gun smuggling operation that specialized in trafficking illegal guns in the GTA. Police said that criminal organization was smuggling guns into Canada from the U.S., along with various drugs including cocaine, marijuana and heroin.David Barker, 39, of Windsor, is charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, weapons trafficking and commission of an offence for a criminal organization.
Jason Tompkins, 35, of Windsor, is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, commission of an offence for a criminal organization, importing firearms and trafficking weapons.Police said Tompkins was a “main player” in the criminal operation who liaised with the gun sources in Kentucky and the buyers here.
“He was facilitating the transport and smuggling of the guns coming into the country,” said Corey.Police nabbed two other Windsor men, but their names haven’t been released. They were all shipped to Newmarket.

Russians are on trial in the United States in at least three separate cases involving gun crimes

Russians are on trial in the United States in at least three separate cases involving gun crimes, including a waiting-room murder, a Kalashnikov-armed gang of thieves and a repeat-offender bank robber.Oregon prosecutors are struggling to solve a mysterious murder in which a Russian-speaking unlicensed dentist is accused of shooting another Russian-speaking man believed to be his patient.
Viktor Gebauer, 79, has pleaded not guilty in the fatal shooting of Viktor Merezhnikov, 47, whose body was found in a chair in what prosecutors are calling a makeshift waiting room at Gebauer's home in Gresham, Oregon, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.Deputy district attorney Chris Ramras said a motive for the Feb. 18 shooting has not been established. "We may never know," he was quoted as saying.He said both men had immigrated to the United States from the former Soviet Union, but he did not know from which former republics. Gebauer, who speaks no English, became a U.S. citizen in 1998 and had practiced dentistry for years without a license, local media reported.
Ramras said the victim called his brother, Vladimir Merezhnikov, "to say he was being held at gunpoint by Gebauer, who was threatening to kill him," The Associated Press reported. When the brother arrived, Gebauer opened the door holding a gun and threatened to shoot him. Merezhnikov saw his brother slumped in a chair before Gebauer closed the door again, the report said.Gebauer later surrendered to police. He told them he had never seen Viktor Merezhnikov before and alleged the victim tried to rob him by using a knife, the AP said. Citing court documents, The Associated Press said the victim was found shot in the abdomen.The victim's wife, Raisa, told the police her husband had visited Gebauer's home in the past. She said her husband "did not own a knife like the one found in his left hand, and that he was right-handed," the AP said.
In an unrelated case, Pennsylvania police have accused three young men believed to be Russian of a series of armed robberies with Kalashnikov assault rifles, local media reported.Maksim Illarionov is suspected of masterminding a series of robberies over the past weeks, the Centre Daily Times reported on its web site Thursday.
Illarionov, 21, was arrested March 3, with Dmitriy Litvinov, 23, and Alexei Semionov, 28, local media reported. They were caught in possession of stolen goods and stolen weapons after they allegedly burglarized homes in the town State College. All three are awaiting trial in jail, local WJAC television reported on its web site.While being escorted by police, Illarionov said the charges against him were “Russian propaganda,” the Centre Daily Times reported. When searching the homes linked to the suspects, police said they found four guns, including two AK-47 rifles.In a comment posted on the paper's web site, a user under the name of LakeErie claimed that he was the guns' owner and that Litvinov "was swearing friendship to me not long ago." Police said one of the Kalashnikovs was discovered in Litvinov's mother's home."I am Russian myself and there is good and bad people among us, just like anywhere else. So please don't judge all of us on example of 3 retards," the entry reads.
In a third case, a former Soviet fighter pilot might face up to life in prison after robbing a bank in upstate New York for the second time in almost 20 years.Alexander Borisov, 46, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery at a hearing in Dutchess County Court last week, the Poughkeepsiejournal.com reported.Borisov admitted to entering the First Niagara Bank in Millerton on Nov. 30, threatening a teller with a gun and fleeing with some cash. He was caught by police minutes later after abandoning a stolen car.He robbed the same bank in December 1991 and two banks in Connecticut during the following four weeks, Poughkeepsiejournal.com said.

Christopher Tres Cadejuste, of the 500 block Oak Hill Lane, allegedly fired the gun at the victim

Christopher Tres Cadejuste, of the 500 block Oak Hill Lane, allegedly fired the gun at the victim, the ex-boyfriend of Cadejuste's girlfriend, after the two men had a physical altercation in 700 block of Edgar Drive around 9:16 p.m., according to police.
The men were arguing about an previous altercation between the victim and Cadejuste's girlfriend, according to police.Cadejuste, 17, has been charged as an adult with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and malicious destruction of property, according to court records.His is being held without bond at the Wicomico County Detention Center and has a District Court hearing scheduled for March 22.

unnamed accused serial rapist demanded tougher gun control laws from his hospital bed in suburban Philadelphia

unnamed accused serial rapist demanded tougher gun control laws from his hospital bed in suburban Philadelphia earlier today, just hours after being admitted by police for a gun shot wound incurred while attempting to assault a local woman. Lawyers for the alleged rapist charged their client was “the real victim of this assault,” and warned that easy access to legal firearms was “[Making] committing a rape or other violent crime nearly impossible in many suburban areas.”
“She shot me in the privates,” bemoaned the wounded accused. “I was just trying to hold her down so I could have my way with her without her consent, and she just shoots me in the privates! How and I ever going to commit a rape again?”
In addition to a complete ban on private gun ownership, the accused lawyers demanded an investigation into hate crimes allegations against the shooter who, allegedly, uttered disparaging comments toward her attacker of a racially insensitive nature, and unfairly questioned his sexual orientation during the attempted assault. “Some guy’s trying to rape her, and she attacks his sexual orientation? What more proof do you need that she’s dangerous and insane,” asked the lawyer.
According to police reports, the gun shot victim was reported by the shooter to police for allegedly following her home from work, attempting to block her access into her apartment, and exposing himself to her through her bathroom window over a two week period beginning last month. Police sources said they “were getting around” to investigating the charges however were delayed due to excessively high workload caused by “[An] unprecedented wave of broken tail lights, people parking near fire lanes, and the maintenance of three new speed traps on local roads.”
“We just do not have the time to run out and follow up on every call made by someone who’s worried that something bad might happen to them. If the department was to go out and try to protect people from crimes before they happened, that’s all we’d do,” defended a police department spokesman. “Call us after you are the victim of a crime, then we can give it the proper lip service it deserves. Anything else is pretty much just a waste of our time.”
A prominent gun control advocate made additional charges against the shooter by claiming inside information that the firearm used in the shooting, “Was purchased just days before from a local gun shop after the mandatory three day waiting period.” “This vigilante just decided on her own to take the law into her own hands all because some poor man was pounding on her door at three in the morning shouting, ‘Let me in or I’m going to kill you.’ Well, a few days later he did break in, and you see the terrible consequences. As is always the case in these situations, it is not the home owner who gets hurt, but, the intruder who wants nothing more than to commit a little random violence who is the victim of gun crime. You know, just because you don’t want to get injured or killed does not give you the right to defend yourself.”
A close associate of the injured accused rapist warned that the attack on his friend was far from an isolated incident, “There are just too many guns on the street. This kind of thing happens day in and day out. I mean, I go through all the trouble of breaking into a house; I’m tense, I’m nervous, of course I’m going to want to attack the people inside like some kind of animal. What else do you expect me to do? I used to love home invasions… Now, I have to worry about getting shot every time I climb through a kitchen window naked. If this keeps up, there won’t be any more opportunities for violent psychopaths like myself to take my rage out on the innocent around me. They what will we do?

68-YEAR-OLD pensioner and her three grandchildren were gunned down while asleep

68-YEAR-OLD pensioner and her three grandchildren were gunned down while asleep at their home at Gonzales, Belmont shortly after midnight on Sunday.Four-year-old Zara Sylvester and her aunt Jehial Roberts, 22, were also shot and wounded. Those murdered were Carmen Mc Hutchinson, 68, and siblings Asha Roberts, 23, Javon Roberts, 18, and LL Roberts, 13. Up to late yesterday little Zara, who was shot in the chest, was warded in a critical condition at the Wendy Fitzwilliam Paediatric Hospital in Mount Hope. Asha was her mother. Jehial is warded at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH) in a stable condition. She is under police guard. Mario Mc Hutchinson, 43, the father of Asha, Javon, LL and Jehial, was at home at the time and managed to escape by jumping through a window of the house. Carmen was his mother. Yesterday, he was counting his lucky stars for being alive, but was grieving the deaths of his mother and three of his four children. “I had to jump through the window to save myself and one of the other children. It was a horrific ordeal, one that I will never forget, and one I will not talk about,” Mc Hutchinson said.

Mc Hutchinson’s wife Eunalia Roberts, cried for justice for her mother-in-law and children yesterday. “My husband had to throw my daughter through the window and jump to get away. I work hard. I am building my home for my family. And this is what I get in return. I don’t do anybody anything. I know if I don’t get justice from the police, I will get it from God,” Eunalia said in a television interview last night.
Eunalia is a security guard and was stationed at WASA’s compound in Laventille on the night of the murders. She had to be consoled by relatives at the Forensic Science Centre in St James, where her sister Pamela Roberts-Glasgow blamed the killings on gang violence.

“Massacre, massacre, massacre. Oh God! They kill my niece and two nephews. They shoot the little child too, and she now fighting for her life. Oh God! This is just a massacre,” Roberts-Glasgow cried.

According to a police report, at about 12.30 am yesterday three gunmen broke down two doors of the house where the family lived at Hubert Lane, Gonzales and entered. The gunmen went into the bedrooms and opened fire on the sleeping occupants, killing four and wounding two. Up to 10.30 am yesterday, a team of officers led by Insp Sahadeo Singh was still on the crime scene carrying out investigations, while police and soldiers patrolled the area. Roberts-Glasgow told reporters she believed the murders occurred because two teenagers from Bath Street, East Dry River, Port-of-Spain went to Hubert Lane to have their hair braided by Jehial on Carnival Monday.
Roberts-Glasgow said members from the Gonzales gang on seeing the Bath Street boys, became angry and began threatening Jehial. “They felt she should not allow the boys from Bath Street to come into the area because they said the boys from Bath Street killed the father of one of them.

The Bath Street gang and the Gonzales gang always warring against each other, but this has nothing to do with them and that nonsense,” Roberts-Glasgow said.

“Imagine just because the two little boys came to get their hair done people want to get vex. We don’t meddle with anybody and if Jehial and them don’t have anything against people from Bath Street why they have to get threats, and even get shot and killed by other people who don’t like it? That is not their business who talks to who,” she added. Roberts-Glasgow said yesterday’s tragedy was the second to strike the family in the last five years. She said on August 5, 2005, her sister, Sherma Roberts, 30, and her neighbour Donna George, 47, were each shot once in the head at Sherma’s home at Carnelian Gardens, Diamond Vale. The trend of gangs killing entire families is reminiscent of the Dole Chadee murders, where members of the Baboolal family were massacred in Williamsville in 1994. The only survivors were two children, a boy Osmond and his sister Hematee, and they were spared by one of the killers, Levi Morris. Chadee and nine others were convicted and hanged by the State for these murders in 1996. More disturbingly, is the unrepentant killings of children under 18 in recent cases such as the murder of Quantia Hyndman, eight, who was shot dead at his home in Five Rivers, Arouca. His sister Dinesha Hyndman, 12, was also shot and survived. No one has been arrested for this brutal assault on the children which investigators said was an act of revenge for three drug-related murders.

judge in Peru who pulled a gun on a photojournalist

judge in Peru who pulled a gun on a photojournalist is now saying he confused him for a thief.Perhaps he thought Carlos Saavedra was going to steal his soul with the camera.Either way, the photo made the cover of Caretas this month, the leading newsweekly magazine in Peru.And the incident is now being addressed by the Committee to Protect Journalists.The incident occurred February 13 when Saavedra was attempting to photograph Judge Raul Rosales Mora over the appointment of a controversial judge to the country’s Constitutional Tribunal.Rosales was leaving home in his car in the Lima neighborhood of Lince when he asked Saavedra to come closer.When the Caretas photojournalist approached, the judge pointed a gun at him and told him to be careful, according to Caretas.Rosales later said he thought Saavedra was a thief. But nobody is buying that story.

gang-related shootout Monday afternoon.

Two Visalia schools were on lockdown, after a gang-related shootout Monday afternoon. It happened on Conyer and Tulare Avenue near Mount Whitney High School.Investigators said a van drove by an apartment complex -- and someone inside the van started shooting. At the same time, they said people at the apartment shot back at the van.
No injuries were reported -- but Mount Whitney High School and nearby Conyer School were on lockdown for about forty-five minutes.Police said they've recovered a gun believed to be involved in the shooting and expect to make arrests soon.

Aidan Byrne, undeterred by the threats against his life, Byrne had also agreed to act as a gun for hire on behalf of major gang bosses.

Aidan Byrne, undeterred by the threats against his life, Byrne had also agreed to act as a gun for hire on behalf of major gang bosses.The sordid life of the father of one, who was lured to his death, was revealed yesterday as gardai stepped up the hunt for his killer, who made off on foot after shooting him 10 times in the chest, stomach and upper body as he sat in the passenger seat of a parked car on the northside of Dublin city.Byrne (33) was aligned with one of the factions involved in the deadly north-inner-city feud, which had already claimed four lives. This feud was ignited after groups took sides when gang leader Christy Griffin was charged with the rape a young girl.Gardai believe the feud connection is the most likely motive for the cold-blooded murder on Saturday night.But they are also looking at a number of other possible theories. Byrne's most high profile "contract" was to carry out the murder of a notorious gang boss in Finglas and he was arrested along with another suspect after he was spotted with a firearm near his target's house last year.
According to intelligence, a "contract" was then put on his head and taken up by another criminal.Although he was said to have agreed to carry out a number of shootings for money, gardai have no convincing evidence that he ever followed through.But his behaviour as a hardened thug resulted in an accumulation of enemies and persistent underworld tip-offs led to gardai warning Byrne several times in the past couple of years that there was a "price" on his head and advised him to take security precautions.Last year he survived an attack on his life at Fairview Park on the northside of the city when shots were fired at him.He was in trouble again earlier this month in Cloverhill Prison, where he was on remand after being charged in connection with the theft of a large haul of electrical goods.He was slashed on the side of the face by another inmate and had to receive 60 stitches. That attack was thought to have been linked to a five-year jail sentence he had served previously for raping two prostitutes in a brothel.In the past fortnight he had successfully applied for bail and on his release had been regularly wearing a bullet-proof vest.
But he had decided to dispense with it on Saturday night after he arranged to meet an unknown associate to discuss a business deal.He contacted a friend, who agreed to drive him to the meeting and parked the grey Toyota Corolla car at Drumalee Avenue, off the North Circular Road, shortly after 8.30pm on Saturday.His friend jumped out of the car and walked into a nearby house. The gunman had apparently been lying in wait and ran towards the Corolla, where Byrne was sitting in the front passenger seat.He fired 10 shots from a semi- automatic pistol and then ran off down a laneway, either into Drumalee Park or Aughrim Street.Detectives arrested the driver of the car for questioning on Sunday afternoon and he was taken into custody at the Bridewell garda station.He was still being held there last night under the Criminal Justice Act 2007 and can be held without charge for a maximum of seven days.

Authorities are searching for a man who they say robbed the Anderson Township Sunoco and fired a gun at a witness

Authorities are searching for a man who they say robbed the Anderson Township Sunoco and fired a gun at a witness Sunday evening. No one was injured.According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect entered the gas station, 6090 Sutton Road, around 7:40 p.m. He approached the counter with a bottle of Vodka and asked the clerk a question, then showed a handgun and demanded cash. He took an undisclosed amount of cash and several packs of cigarettes and ran south on Sutton Road, according to the sheriff’s office.
When a man who saw the robbery began to chase the suspect, the suspect turned and fired one gunshot at the man, according to the sheriff’s office. The witness was not hit. The suspect then got into a dark-colored vehicle and fled north on Interstate 275, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspect is described as a white man, 18 to 25 years old. He is 5-feet, 5-inches to 5-feet, 8-inches tall and weighs around 160 pounds. He was wearing a gray long-sleeved shirt, dark jeans, a red hat and a black scarf over his face

man who they believe attacked a UW student on a downtown bike path over the weekend

Madison Police are searching for a man who they believe attacked a UW student on a downtown bike path over the weekend.The victim, a 20-year-old woman, told officers she was walking on the bike path in the 100 block of N. Mills St. Saturday around 7:40 p.m. when a man approached her with a gun and grabbed her purse.She says the robber fled west on the bike path.The suspect is described as a man possibly of Asian ethnicity between 20-25 years old, 5'6", 150 lbs. medium build with dark eyes and heavy dark eyebrows, wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt with hood up, black knit mask covering his nose and mouth and dark pants.The gun was black with a long barrel. The victim's purse is dark brown with a light brown trim, rectangular with a peace sign decoration.

Heavily armed gunman has killed himself after an eight-hour siege in central Queensland.

Heavily armed gunman has killed himself after an eight-hour siege in central Queensland.Police have refused to confirm if the man opened fire on a marked police car while holed up in a house in the coal mining town of Moranbah.
Officers say the man broke into the home on Monday afternoon and while alone inside fired a weapon several times.Negotiators were unable to talk him out and he shot himself, reportedly in front of officers, about 10pm (AEST).The incident will be investigated by the Ethical Standards Command.A report is being prepared for the coroner.During the drama, police prevented some residents from returning home, while others were instructed to stay locked inside their houses.

Javaris Crittendon, the “other” player involved in the infamous Showdown at the OK Corral style standoff in the Verizon Center locker room

Guard Javaris Crittendon, the “other” player involved in the infamous Showdown at the OK Corral style standoff in the Verizon Center locker room, plead guilty to a misdemeanor gun charges Monday in D.C. Superior Court.Reports of the possibility of Crittendon being charged with a gun crime began to pop up on multiple websites early Monday morning, with the Washington Post first reporting confirmation that Crittendon would be charged Monday afternoon.The charges come on the heels of reports that have surfaced in the weeks following the incident and related charges for guard Gilbert Arenas that seemed to suggest that Crittendon may, in fact, not be charged with a crime at all after investigators interviews with teammates turned up contradictory reports and a search of his Arlington home failed to produce the weapon in question. It is unclear exactly how or when investigators decided to proceed with prosecution of Crittendon despite the absence of the weapon as evidence and the conflicting testimony from teammates.Crittendon plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of possession of an unregistered firearm after early reports suggested he might face a felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm and a misdemeanor count of attempting to carry a pistol without a license. Crittendon was able to work out a plea agreement with prosecutors to drop one of two misdemeanor charges and recommend no jail time for the infraction, which carries a maximum charge of one year in jail. Presiding Judge Bruce Beaudin fined Crittendon $1,250 and sentenced him to one year of unsupervised probation.Following Crittendon’s appearance in court, his attorney, Peter H. White, issued a statement suggesting that the 22 year old guard brought the gun to the Verizon Center “only because he legitimately feared for his life” and that the gun was not loaded, nor did Crittendon threaten anyone with the weapon, as some reports have suggested.
While Crittendon’s legal troubles are effectively placed in the past with his plea agreement, his troubles with the league and the Wizards could be just beginning.
Crittendon has not appeared in a game for the Wizards this season while nursing an injury sustained late in training camp during the offseason. While the team has been standoffish in its approach to disciplining Arenas, a possibility made difficult by the fact that Arenas has not yet been sentenced and by a “double jeopardy” clause in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement that would prohibit the team from disciplining Arenas for an infraction for which the league has already imposed punishment, there will likely be swift movement in disciplining Crittendon as the team looks to work past what has been a terribly embarrassing situation for the organization.This afternoon the Wizards’ organization released the following statement. "The charges filed today against Javaris Crittenton and his subsequent plea represent another disappointing development in what has already been a long and frustrating process for the team, the NBA and, most importantly, our fans. Javaris clearly used very bad judgment in this situation and will now face the consequences of his actions.”While Arenas’ contract and status as the face of the franchise make releasing him a near impossibility, Crittendon’s much smaller rookie deal isn’t quite as prohibitive. Washington could, conceivably, release Crittendon without taking a significant hit to the team’s salary cap – a possibility that, according to Internet chatter, could become reality. Kavanaugh said Crittenton voluntarily surrendered his gun to authorities. Police had searched his apartment Jan. 14 but didn't find it.Crittenton's lawyer, Peter H. White, said his client was scared of Arenas. He emphasized that Crittenton, in his third year in the NBA, did not have the stature on the team that Arenas enjoyed.
White said that after Crittenton tossed one of Arenas' guns on the floor, Arenas said: "If I'm giving you these three guns, imagine what I have in my car."
Arenas has said repeatedly that the situation was a misguided attempt at a joke and that he never intended to hurt anybody.White told reporters after the hearing that Crittenton wouldn't make any more statements because he is scheduled to meet with NBA officials Tuesday.Crittenton faces a suspension or fine from the NBA because possession of a gun at an NBA arena is a violation of the league's collective bargaining agreement.NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league had no immediate comment on Crittenton's plea.The Wizards said in a statement Monday that Crittenton used "very bad judgment.""The charges filed today against Javaris Crittenton and his subsequent plea represent another disappointing development in what has already been a long and frustrating process for the team, the NBA and, most importantly, our fans," the team said.A spokeswoman for Arenas' lawyer declined to comment on Crittenton's plea. Arenas, who is in the second season of a six-year, $111 million contract and has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA, is scheduled to be sentenced March 26. Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge Monday, explaining he had a pistol because he feared teammate Gilbert Arenas would shoot him or blow up his car after the two argued over a card game.The hearing marked the first time authorities confirmed Crittenton was the other player involved in the confrontation with Arenas, who pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to a felony gun charge.D.C. Superior Court Senior Judge Bruce Beaudin sentenced Crittenton, 22, to a year of unsupervised probation after Crittenton pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of an unregistered firearm. Beaudin ordered Crittenton to mentor young people in Washington and to help with relief efforts for Haiti.Beaudin didn't order a specific amount of community service but said his lawyer must report regularly on the work.Crittenton must also pay a $1,000 fine and $250 into a victims' fund.
"I accept full responsibility for my bad judgment, my terrible mistake," Crittenton, who appeared in court wearing a gray suit and glasses, told the judge as he entered the plea. "I'm deeply sorry to the city of Washington, to the Wizards, to my family and to the NBA for this embarrassment."
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Kavanaugh said the two players first clashed Dec. 19 over a card game on a team flight back from a game in Phoenix. Arenas said he was too old for a fistfight and threatened to shoot Crittenton in the face, and Crittenton replied he would shoot Arenas in his surgically repaired knee, Kavanaugh said.Later, Arenas said he would blow up or burn Crittenton's car, Kavanaugh said.
Two days later, Crittenton put his legally owned, unloaded handgun into his backpack before he left his apartment in Arlington, Va., for practice at the Verizon Center, Kavanaugh said.Crittenton put the backpack in his locker and went to see team trainers, Kavanaugh said. When he returned he saw several guns - Crittenton's lawyer said there were three, not four, as previously reported - on a chair in front of his locker with a sign saying, "Pick 1."Crittenton tossed one of the guns on the floor and told Arenas to get the weapons off the chair. Then, fearing for his safety, Crittenton took the handgun out of his backpack and showed it to Arenas, Kavanaugh said.However, Kavanaugh said there is no evidence Crittenton ever threatened anyone with the gun.Prosecutors said Arenas told Crittenton: "You are going to need more than that little gun."Kavanaugh said Crittenton voluntarily surrendered his gun to authorities. Police had searched his apartment Jan. 14 but didn't find it.Crittenton's lawyer, Peter H. White, said his client was scared of Arenas. He emphasized that Crittenton, in his third year in the NBA, did not have the stature on the team that Arenas enjoyed.White said that after Crittenton tossed one of Arenas' guns on the floor, Arenas said: "If I'm giving you these three guns, imagine what I have in my car."
Arenas has said repeatedly that the situation was a misguided attempt at a joke and that he never intended to hurt anybody.White told reporters after the hearing that Crittenton wouldn't make any more statements because he is scheduled to meet with NBA officials Tuesday.
Crittenton faces a suspension or fine from the NBA because possession of a gun at an NBA arena is a violation of the league's collective bargaining agreement.
NBA spokesman Tim Frank said the league had no immediate comment on Crittenton's plea.The Wizards said in a statement Monday that Crittenton used "very bad judgment."
"The charges filed today against Javaris Crittenton and his subsequent plea represent another disappointing development in what has already been a long and frustrating process for the team, the NBA and, most importantly, our fans," the team said.A spokeswoman for Arenas' lawyer declined to comment on Crittenton's plea. Arenas, who is in the second season of a six-year, $111 million contract and has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA, is scheduled to be sentenced March 26.

man suspected of attempting to rob the TwinStar Credit Union in Centralia on Monday morning escaped and should be considered armed

man suspected of attempting to rob the TwinStar Credit Union in Centralia on Monday morning escaped and should be considered armed, police said. “He went out the same window he came in,” Centralia Police Chief Bob Berg said. “We should assume he’s armed, because he presented a gun to the employee.”
The man was shot at by Centralia police officer Neil Hoium, but apparently was not hit. He might have been cut when climbing through a broken window, police said, because a small amount of blood was found inside.He did not get any money.
The credit union on Gold Street quickly became a major crime scene, with officers blocking Gold and Kresky streets until around noon.The discovery that the man had escaped came shortly after four explosions were heard at the credit union, which had been locked down after an attempted robbery shortly before 7 a.m.According to a witness at a nearby diner, police threw what appeared to be four flash grenades through the same open window into which they had earlier thrown a hostage negotiation telephone.Police thought the man was still inside the credit union based on remotely viewed video footage, but later discovered that what appeared to be legs under a desk in the video was not the suspect.Around 10 a.m., police broke out a window and threw in a “hostage rescue phone” that picks up all sound in the building. Sounds captured by its microphone revealed that KITI radio was playing in the building. Police went on the radio broadcast to ask the suspect to pick up the phone.Law enforcement originally responded to 1320 S. Gold St. at 6:42 a.m. after a report of suspicious circumstances. Centralia Police Department officer John Panco said that when an officer arrived he was met by an employee near the front door of the building. Part of her arm was hidden behind the door frame, and her position was awkward, as if someone were holding her.“She mouthed the words ‘he has a gun,’” Panco said.Officer Hoium then pulled the woman away from the door, at which point the suspect became visible, police said. The officer fired two shots, but wasn’t sure if he hit the man.The woman was not injured, but police say a knife was held to her neck and a gun “That employee saved our police officer’s life, and that officer in turn saved her life,” Berg said.TwinStar issued a statement via its Facebook page indicating that no employees were harmed during the attempted robbery.The incident has similarities to another bank robbery at the same credit union Jan. 2, 2009.In that robbery, a masked man confronted two employees and forced them into the vault approximately 6:45 a.m. The suspect stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled, leaving the female tellers in the vault.Police tracked the suspect a short distance in the snow before the tracks disappeared. No arrests were made.“It keeps escalating and escalating,” said Kelly Pennington, owner of Kelly’s Diner adjacent to the credit union.

Drug smuggler Shaheed Roger Khan was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges of drug smuggling, witness tampering and gun possession

Drug smuggler Shaheed Roger Khan was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment on charges of drug smuggling, witness tampering and gun possession in Vermont at 3 pm today at the US Eastern District Court in Brooklyn.Justice Dora L. Irizarry, imposing the sentences after a one-hour summation, said that they would run concurrently, which means that Khan will only serve 15 years in prison.Prior to handing down the long-awaited sentence, Justice Irizarry read three letters from Sheila Waddell, Harry Rampersaud and an anonymous person, which pleaded with her to impose a longer sentence than the 15 years offered to Khan as part of his plea bargain deal, given the heinous crimes he had committed. However she said that while she considered their pain and that of others affected by his operations, it should be recognized that in Khan’s case an acquittal was also possible had it gone to trial.
Prosecutor Shannon Jones had earlier said the same thing, noting that it should not be viewed as 15 years as opposed to 25 or 40 years, but 15 years as opposed to an acquittal.Before imposing sentence, Justice Irizarry asked Khan to make a statement.
Standing, the cleanly-shaven convict smiled and waved to his family and relatives in the courtroom. Addressing the court, Khan apologized to the citizens of the United States of America for the pain his actions might have caused them. Turning to his family, he apologized to them as well for any pain he might have caused them. He did not as much as mention Guyana or Guyanese.He then thanked his attorneys John Bergendahl and Diarmuid White for “being men of integrity” and said the US should be proud of them.As he left the court, Khan waved to his wife who said “Rog, I love you.”

Police found a semi-automatic pistol in Titus Dawson’s bedroom

police found a semi-automatic pistol in Titus Dawson’s bedroom March 6, he initially claimed a burglar must have placed it there.That defense only went so far.
At his trial in Albany County Court this week, he took another route — that the weapon was being held for a friend to be returned to a gun buy-back program in Albany.Both Dawson, 26, and the friend are convicted drug dealers, the gun was found next to marijuana residue, as well as digital scales, $8,000 in cash and a ninth-month old newspaper article, but the defendant’s pal still took the stand and made his case.It was just not one a jury would believe .Dawson, 26, of Lark Drive, was convicted late Thursday of third-degree weapon possession, a felony carrying 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison.Police had noticed the gun while responding to a burglary alarm at Dawson’s home. When they arrived they spotted the pistol, as well as a large amount of marijuana in the bedroom.They returned and arrested Dawson after getting a search warrant. The gun and other belongings (which prosecutors say showed evidence of a homegrown marijuana operation) were discovered near a nine-month old Times Union newspaper article about gang shootings in Albany.The defense argued Dawson’s friend, a convicted crack dealer, stumbled upon the gun a day earlier while outdoors in Albany — and decided to leave it with Dawson. He said they planned to give it to the Rev. Charlie Muller of the Victory Christian Church in Albany, who runs the buy-back program.But Assistant District Attorney David Gonzalez, who prosecuted the case, noted no effort was ever made by either man to contact Muller.
“There is only so much that we can do with the legal system,” Gonzalez told jurors in closing arguments. “Use common sense.”Dawson, who has a past conviction for third-degree drug dealing, will be sentenced by acting Supreme Court Justice Dan Lamont on Dec. 11.

Weapons of choice for gangsters are the Russian-made 9mm Baikal pistol which is smuggled into the UK from illegal factories in Lithuania

Weapons of choice for gangsters are the Russian-made 9mm Baikal pistol which is smuggled into the UK from illegal factories in Lithuania and the Mac-10 sub-machine pistol.
A sub-machine gun is believed to have been used in the suspected gang war murder of 21-year-old Turkish shop worker Cem Duzgun two weeks ago.
There have also been warnings about girls and children carrying weapons for boyfriends or older gang members. Earlier this year a 14-year-old boy was convicted of possessing a gun, a silencer and ammunition. The weapon was found in his bedroom in Lewisham when he was just 13.
The number of guns being seized in London has risen steadily in recent years. In the whole of 2002 just 1,000, including imitation guns, were recovered. This year, up until the end of July 985 were seized. Police say that by this month the total will have reached more than 1,000.
Of the 985, 217 were 'live-firing' weapons - 136 handguns, 72 shotguns and nine sub-machineguns. The rest are believed to be BB guns, replicas or other 'non-live firing'

'respect' shootings where it seems the gunmen do not intend to kill.

Gun crime in London has soared due to a new wave of teenage 'respect' shootings, the Metropolitan Police said today.Crimes where teenagers choose to use firearms to settle disputes over slights to their reputation or other minor disagreements are becoming increasingly common.
The new phenomenon sees gunmen intending to injure their victims rather than kill. Criminals aim at a rival's legs and leave them with 'war wounds'.
Police figures say that there have been 72 such shootings, double the number for last year. Commander Martin Hewitt said the inclination to use 'extreme levels of violence for seemingly very little reason' was a new phenomenon.
He said that when Operation Trident began investigating gun crime in the black community most shootings were an 'offshoot' of criminal activity.
Police have seized more than 1,000 guns in London so far this year. While overall youth violence is falling, police say there is a rise in gun crime and, in particular, the number of non-fatal shootings involving turf wars.
Met Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson linked rising gun crime in the capital with feuding gangs. Met figures show a 14 per cent rise in gun crime in London over four months during the summer.
There has been a spate of 'drive-by' and other targeted shootings, apparently connected to gang and other criminal disputes. Many offences are said to be 'intimated' where someone claims or threatens to have a gun but a weapon is not seen.
However, police are highlighting a new trend of 'respect' shootings where it seems the gunmen do not intend to kill.

Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro tore into the helicopter and hit the pilot

Bullets flying from the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill" in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro tore into the helicopter and hit the pilot in the leg as he hovered above the shootout, causing him to lose control and crash.
Two officers died, while the pilot and three other policemen escaped after the craft hit the ground on a football field and burst into flames. The pilot and a second officer suffered burns and bullet wounds. The other two officers also were burned, one gravely, said Mario Sergio Duarte, head of Rio state's military police.
Officials did not know whether the gangs targeted the helicopter or whether it was hit by stray bullets, but the event underscored security concerns that have dogged Brazil's second-largest city for decades.
Despite the mayhem, officials defended Rio's ability to control violence ahead of the Olympics as well as before 2014, when Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament with key games in Rio.
"In choosing the city, they already knew about the work that's being carried out and will continue in the area of (crime) prevention," Justice Minister Tarso Genro told the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency.
Rio state Gov. Sergio Cabral grimly told reporters that Rio's security challenges can't be cured "by magic in the short term," but he said money is being poured into programs to reduce crime and authorities are prepared to mount an overwhelming security presence at the sporting events to ensure safety.
"We told the International Olympic Committee that this won't be an easy thing, and they know that," Cabral said. "We can put 40,000 people on the streets — federal, state and municipal police — and pull off the event."
Duarte said it was unlikely that traffickers fired an anti-aircraft missile at the helicopter, though such weapons have been found in the hideouts of Rio's drug traffickers along with other heavy, military-grade arms such as grenade launchers and .50-caliber machine guns.
The pilot was able to make a somewhat controlled, though extremely rough landing, which would have been unlikely if the aircraft had been hit by a heavy weapon, Duarte said.
Police said 10 presumed traffickers were killed during the fighting in the slum, including three suspects found dead inside a vehicle. Officials gave no details on how the other seven died.
They said at least eight buses were set on fire in nearby slums as the shootouts raged. Television images showed motorists fleeing for cover as automatic-weapons fire crackled in broad daylight amid the worst violence the city has seen in months.
Images broadcast by Globo TV showed flames shooting from the helicopter wreckage, with little more than charred pieces and an intact tail remaining after the fire was doused.

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs Saturday

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs Saturday, killing two officers and injuring four in a burst of violence just two weeks after the city was chosen to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
Ten suspected drug traffickers were also killed during the fighting in a shantytown, and two bystanders were injured, officials said.