CMPD to be Out in Full Force Patrolling Uptown First Night Festivities

From http://www.charlotte.twcnews.com, December 30, 2013

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are preparing for Tuesday night’s New Year’s Eve events in uptown.

Last week, the city manager declared First Night an extraordinary event, which gives police extra powers. Police will be patrolling the area in and around Romare Bearden Park on foot, bicycles and motorcycles.

They will be looking for any disorderly behavior and enforcing the juvenile curfew. The group “Men Who Care” will once again be assisting with juveniles.

Police will also have a presence near Time Warner Cable Arena, where the Avett Brothers will be performing.

CMPD Seeking Public’s Help in Identifying Armed Robbery suspect

From http://www.wcnc.com, December 29, 2013

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police are hoping the public will help to identify a suspect wanted in connection with an early Friday morning armed robbery.

Police say the suspect entered the 7-11 convenience store in the 1900 block of Pavilion Boulevard in the University area just before 3 a.m. on Friday. The suspect produced a weapon, police say, demanded items from the clerk and fled the scene on foot.

The suspect is described as a black male standing about 6-foot-5, weighing 200 pounds with a dark complexion and a mustache. Police say he was wearing a beige parka with a fur-lined hoodie and black pants.

Authorities did not comment on what items may have been stolen during the commission of the crime.

If you have any information on the crime or can help police identify their suspect, please call Crime Stoppers at (704) 334-1600.

Teen in Custody in Uptown Charlotte Standoff Resulting from Carjacking

By DIANA RUGG / NBC Charlotte, December 27, 2013

A 17-year-old teen has been arrested and at least one more suspect is still on the loose after an armed carjacking early Friday morning that led to a police pursuit.

The chase ended with a standoff in the Polk Building at N. Graham and W. Trade streets after the suspect crashed the stolen car into the building and ran inside.

De’Angelo Quinil Bradley, 17, is charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, fleeing from police, resisting arrest, and breaking and entering for running into the vacant government building.

He is in Mecklenburg County Jail under $50,000 bond.

But this isn’t the first time this year Bradley has faced serious charges.

On October 25, jail records show Bradley was charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, and possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

He was placed in Mecklenburg County Jail under $75,000 bond and released three weeks later on November 15.

As of Saturday night, Bradley had not been charged with armed robbery for the Friday morning carjacking, and police are asking for help finding another suspect who was involved.

Here’s how CMPD said the events unfolded:  A woman reported she was carjacked at gunpoint around 1 a.m. in the parking lot of apartments on Diamond Creek Circle in the Steele Creek area.

A description of the vehicle was broadcast to officers, and CMPD said officers began following a car similar to the one reported stolen around 4:15 a.m. on Statesville Avenue north of uptown.

There was only one person in the car when police began to follow it, although the victim told police there were two or three people inside when it was stolen.

Officers attempted to make a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle, but the driver didn’t pull over.  PoIice pursued the car until it crashed into the vacant Polk Building.

Police say one person ran inside the building, leading to a several-hour standoff with officers in uptown.

During the standoff, Bradley was arrested and taken to police headquarters for interviews.

Panthers back-up QB Derek Anderson live-tweeted the events from his uptown home. Click here for the story.

Workers had boarded up the building where the car hit it Saturday afternoon, but southbound lanes of Graham Street between West 5th Street and West Trade Street will remain closed for building repairs.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

Woman Injured in December 28, 2013 Stabbing at Charlotte Transit Center

From http://www.wcnc.com, December 28, 2013

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating a stabbing at the Transit Center in uptown Friday night.

Police say a woman was stabbed just before 11 p.m.

According to witnesses on the scene, a group of women attacked another woman.

The victim was transported to Carolinas Medical Center.  Her condition is not known at this time.  No suspects have been identified.

2 Injured in December 28, 2013 Uptown Charlotte Shooting

From http://www.wcnc.com, December 29, 2013

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating a shooting in uptown that sent two people to the hospital.

Officers responded to North Tryon and West 10th streets near the NC Dance Theater Friday night.

Two people were transported to the hospital.  One victim has life-threatening injuries, according to Medic.

There are no suspects at this time.  Police are still trying to determine a motive in the case.

 

Off-Duty CMPD Officers Save Man’s Life at UNC Football Game

By Glenn Counts / NBC Charlotte, December 25, 2013

Four off duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers are being hailed as heroes for saving a man’s life at last month’s UNC vs. Old Dominion football game.

“We had a really fun time that day. Andy had never been to a college football game,” said Deputy Chief Katrina Graue.

She invited three of her friends to watch the game, Lieutenant Steve Huber, Captain Gregg Collins and Retired Major Andy Leonard.

“As we were leaving a lady came running toward the gate and it looked like she was in distress,” said Graue.

The officers followed the woman, who led them to a man who was still in the stadium and was out cold.

“When we came upon him, in my opinion, he had already deceased, and what we were doing, we were just trying to give him every chance at life,” said Huber.

He and Leonard sprung into action giving the man CPR. Huber and Leonard have been friends for 25 years.

“I do believe the two of us, it was almost like we had been in training together the week before, I do think we fed off each other in getting done what needed to be done,” said Leonard.

Call it luck or call it providence, but both men had just recently completed a CPR refresher course. They did so well that when medics arrived they mistook them for pros.

“They called out to me asking me to make calls on certain things and moments of the guy when they were going to put him on a backboard and I had to tell the lady we’re not medics, we’re police officers. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Huber.

The officers can smile because the victim survived and just got out of the hospital this week. They hope to one day meet and get to know him.

“It’s probably the most amazing feeling I’ve had in my whole career,” said Leonard.

CMPD: 1 Arrested in Uptown Standoff Resulting from Car-Jacking

From http://www.wsoctv.com, December 27, 2013

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have arrested one man involved in an Uptown standoff at West Trade and N. Graham Streets in uptown.

Police said the man was taken to CMPD headquarters, where he is being interviewed by detectives.

Officers are continuing to search the Polk Building to make sure no additional suspects are inside.

Police told Channel 9 reporter Jenna Deery that two people were holed up inside the building early this morning. They said it started around 1 a.m. as a carjacking at the 2100 block of Diamond Creek Circle.  A woman told CMPD her vehicle was stolen at gunpoint.

Metro Division officers spotted a vehicle that matched a description given by the victim.  Officers attempted a traffic stop, but the people in the vehicle refused to stop.

There was a brief pursuit that ended when the vehicle hit a building at the intersection of Trade and Graham.

The two people in the car jumped out and ran into the multistory building, police said.

Police attempted to negotiate with the two suspects.

Bomb squad detectives were brought to the scene. The canine unit and a helicopter were also used.

Channel 9’s Jenna Deery is at the scene where, at one point, police had rifles drawn.

Police were heard yelling into a bullhorn, “We know you’re in there, we’re not leaving until you come out.”

Carolina Panthers backup quarterback Derek Anderson has been tweeting about the standoff and describing the scene. Anderson tweeted, “Got a stand off in uptown this am! Police chase then an accident.. Got the negotiator on the mega phone now!”

West Trade was closed off between S. Cedar and Mint Streets. North Graham Street was also closed between West 5th and West 4th Streets as well.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.

On Guns & Safety, The Facts are In: More Guns, Less Crime

From The Tribune-Review, December 25, 2013

For all the attempts to infringe on citizens’ Second Amendment rights, gun ownership soared from 192 million firearms to 310 million between 1994 and 2009 while the murder rate among Americans decreased by nearly half.

And those statistics are not from the National Rifle Association. They’re from the government’s own Congressional Research Service.

The “firearm-related murder and non-negligent homicide rate” dropped from 6.6 per 100,000 Americans in 1993 to 3.6 per 100,000 in 2000, according to the CRS findings. Apart from a slight increase in 2006-07, the rate dropped again in 2008 — when the Supreme Court reaffirmed that firearm possession by individuals is constitutionally protected.

By 2011, the firearm-related murder rate was down to 3.2 per 100,000 citizens.

The leading category for firearm sales from 1994 to 2009 was handguns.

Is it coincidental that the overall murder rate declined as well, from 9 per 100,000 in 1994 to 4.7 per 100,000 in 2011? Not likely.

Not only did the gun-murder rate decline amid increased sales, the increase in Americans’ gun ownership — in large measure, concealable guns — corresponds to a reduction in crime.

Nevertheless, gun-grabbers will insist on attempting to regulate the types of guns, magazines and ammunition that Americans can buy. Yet for all their fact-fractured histrionics, they’re not protecting the well-being of anyone.

Shots Fired into Charlotte Home while Family Sleeps

From http://www.wsoctv.com Trish Williford, December 24, 2013

A Charlotte woman said she was afraid for her life and gunfire erupted outside her home.

Bendetta Brown said the bullet sounded more like a bomb exploding through her house.

Around 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Brown, her daughter and elderly mother were all asleep when gunshots were fired behind her north Charlotte home.

Brown said one of the bullets tore through her bedroom wall just inches away from her bed.

“One, two, three and that fourth shot I heard something shatter I said oh my God sounds like they hit the window the house or something,” said Brown.

Brown said she quickly dropped to the floor and dialed 911. She didn’t get up until police arrived.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department detectives spent hours questioning Brown’s neighbors, but on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, Brown is rattled, but said she knows it could have been worse.

She is thankful her family is in one piece.

16 Year-Old Charged with Murder in December 21, 2013 Uptown Charlotte Shooting

From http://www.wcnc.com, December 22, 2013

CMPD Officers say a man was shot in a parking lot following a fist fight Saturday night.

At about 10 minutes to 11 Saturday night, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police responded to a parking lot in the 400 block of East Trade Street to find a deceased male with a gunshot wound.

Police say it appears the victim, 30-year-old Richard Marquis Bonds, was involved in a fist fight, and was then shot by 16-year-old David Michael Simpson.

David Michael Simpso, 16 – Photo Credit: Meck. Co. Sheriff

Surveillance cameras in the area captured images of a suspect vehicle, and witnesses on the scene were able to give officers a license plate number.

A short time later, police say the suspect vehicle was involved in an accident in the 3100 block of Rozzelles Ferry Road. When officers arrived on the scene of the accident, one of the occupants had fled the scene, police say. The remaining occupant was taken to police headquarters for questioning.

Simpson was picked up by CMPD’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team on Sunday morning.

Simpson is charged with murder. He was taken to police headquarters for questioning, and will then be booked in to the Mecklenburg County Jail.