Doug Huffman
Banned
imported post
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880117025
PostedThursday, January 17, 2008at10:32 am
A Wilmington man faces multiple charges after he brandished a gun to try to break up a fight outside a Brandywine Hundred shopping center.
Gregg N. Lynch, 58, was charged with three counts of aggravated menacing, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
He was arraigned and released on $20,500 unsecured bond.
The incident began Wednesday afternoon outside Dicks Sporting Goods in the Brandywine Towne Center, when two teens, ages 16 and 17, got into an argument with a 27-year-old man, said state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh.
When the argument grew physical, a bystander, whom police later identified as Lynch, allegedly pulled out a 'Glock' 9mm handgun and ordered all three to the ground, Whitmarsh said.
The teens complied, but the 27-year-old fled to his vehicle.
When state troopers arrived, they arrested Lynch and searched his vehicle. They found two more handguns – a revolver and a .22 caliber pistol – and eight boxes of ammunition, Whitmarsh said.
Lynch told the troopers he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but he could not produce it at the time of his arrest. State police investigators are still looking into that claim, Whitmarsh said.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801180338
PostedFriday, January 18, 2008
What started as a road rage incident ended with the arrest of a 58-year-old Brandywine Hundred man on gun charges after he got involved in a fistfight between three men and ordered them to the ground at gunpoint, police said.
Gregg N. Lynch, of the 100 block of Murphy Road, was released on $20,500 unsecured bail Wednesday after being charged with felony aggravated menacing, possession of a firearm during a felony, carrying a concealed deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.
The three men involved in the fight were not immediately charged, Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh of the Delaware State Police said.
"It's still an active case under investigation," Whitmarsh said Thursday.
It all started at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot outside Dick's Sporting Goods in the Brandywine Town Center, where the occupants of two cars each claimed the others cut them off.
The three occupants -- two teenage boys and a 27-year-old man -- stopped and got into an argument that turned physical.
Shoppers called state police.
Before troopers could arrive, Lynch pulled up in a pickup, brandished a Glock 9 mm pistol and ordered the trio to "get to the ground," police said in court records.
One of the victims got on his cell phone and told the gunman he was calling police.
Another asked if "he was a police officer and if he had ID," according to court records.
"I have every right to have a gun," Lynch replied, according to the records. "I don't have to show you anything."
Troopers who arrested Lynch said he didn't have that right because his life was not in danger.
Troopers said they found the unloaded Glock, an unloaded 9 mm Baretta pistol and a loaded .22-caliber revolver during a search of his truck.
Lynch said he had a permit to carry the weapons, but couldn't produce one, Whitmarsh said.
"If you're going to carry a concealed weapon, you're required to keep your paper with it," he said.
Lynch was arrested last year on charges of aggravated menacing, but the charges were dropped, court records show.
Whitmarsh said a woman who witnessed the incident was left shaken.
"The witness was clear that Lynch pointed a gun at the victims and ordered them to the ground," he said. "Lynch claimed he never pointed the weapon at the victims."
Whitmarsh said Lynch's brandishing of a gun implied he was going to use deadly force.
"If he's threatening someone to comply or face deadly force, then he himself has to be threatened with serious bodily injury or death, or be in fear that someone else will face seriously bodily injury or death," he said.
Lynch never claimed that he was making a citizen's arrest and made no mention of holding the men at bay until police arrived, Whitmarsh said.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801210328
PostedMonday, January 21, 2008[font="verdana,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"]
[/font][font="verdana,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"] [/font] The case of vigilante justice at a shopping mall last Wednesday afternoon is a good example of why taking criminal matters into your own hands is a dangerous idea.
The harrowing episode involved a pistol-wielding passer-by's attempt to break up a fight between strangers feuding with road rage.
In the parking lot outside the Brandywine Town Center occupants of two cars, who claimed the other car cut them off, began physically fighting.
Shoppers called police but before troopers could get there, a 58-year-old man brandished a pistol and ordered the trio to "get to the ground," according to court records.
According to police he told his "suspects" he had every right to have a gun and did not need to prove he was a police officer or show identification as one of them requested.
It turned out that the weapon was unloaded. The owner could not produce a license for a concealed weapon, a requirement of state law.
Even if he produced a license and the weapon was loaded, he still faced no immediate threat from the fighting suspects. So it was not a case of self-defense.
Police arrested and charged him with felony aggravated menacing, possession of a firearm during a felony as well as carrying a concealed deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.
Despite his good intentions, the passer-by took a serious gamble with the lives of the shoppers and others in that parking lot. Suppose his enraged "suspects"were armed as well. He had no way of knowing.
For all of its immediate satisfaction, vigilante justice can be much more life threatening than many would-be citizen-policemen dream.
The decision to charge the do-gooder in this case was lawful and necessary to avoid copycats whose intentions turn out much worse.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880117025
PostedThursday, January 17, 2008at10:32 am
A Wilmington man faces multiple charges after he brandished a gun to try to break up a fight outside a Brandywine Hundred shopping center.
Gregg N. Lynch, 58, was charged with three counts of aggravated menacing, carrying a concealed deadly weapon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
He was arraigned and released on $20,500 unsecured bond.
The incident began Wednesday afternoon outside Dicks Sporting Goods in the Brandywine Towne Center, when two teens, ages 16 and 17, got into an argument with a 27-year-old man, said state police spokesman Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh.
When the argument grew physical, a bystander, whom police later identified as Lynch, allegedly pulled out a 'Glock' 9mm handgun and ordered all three to the ground, Whitmarsh said.
The teens complied, but the 27-year-old fled to his vehicle.
When state troopers arrived, they arrested Lynch and searched his vehicle. They found two more handguns – a revolver and a .22 caliber pistol – and eight boxes of ammunition, Whitmarsh said.
Lynch told the troopers he had a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but he could not produce it at the time of his arrest. State police investigators are still looking into that claim, Whitmarsh said.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801180338
PostedFriday, January 18, 2008
What started as a road rage incident ended with the arrest of a 58-year-old Brandywine Hundred man on gun charges after he got involved in a fistfight between three men and ordered them to the ground at gunpoint, police said.
Gregg N. Lynch, of the 100 block of Murphy Road, was released on $20,500 unsecured bail Wednesday after being charged with felony aggravated menacing, possession of a firearm during a felony, carrying a concealed deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.
The three men involved in the fight were not immediately charged, Cpl. Jeff Whitmarsh of the Delaware State Police said.
"It's still an active case under investigation," Whitmarsh said Thursday.
It all started at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot outside Dick's Sporting Goods in the Brandywine Town Center, where the occupants of two cars each claimed the others cut them off.
The three occupants -- two teenage boys and a 27-year-old man -- stopped and got into an argument that turned physical.
Shoppers called state police.
Before troopers could arrive, Lynch pulled up in a pickup, brandished a Glock 9 mm pistol and ordered the trio to "get to the ground," police said in court records.
One of the victims got on his cell phone and told the gunman he was calling police.
Another asked if "he was a police officer and if he had ID," according to court records.
"I have every right to have a gun," Lynch replied, according to the records. "I don't have to show you anything."
Troopers who arrested Lynch said he didn't have that right because his life was not in danger.
Troopers said they found the unloaded Glock, an unloaded 9 mm Baretta pistol and a loaded .22-caliber revolver during a search of his truck.
Lynch said he had a permit to carry the weapons, but couldn't produce one, Whitmarsh said.
"If you're going to carry a concealed weapon, you're required to keep your paper with it," he said.
Lynch was arrested last year on charges of aggravated menacing, but the charges were dropped, court records show.
Whitmarsh said a woman who witnessed the incident was left shaken.
"The witness was clear that Lynch pointed a gun at the victims and ordered them to the ground," he said. "Lynch claimed he never pointed the weapon at the victims."
Whitmarsh said Lynch's brandishing of a gun implied he was going to use deadly force.
"If he's threatening someone to comply or face deadly force, then he himself has to be threatened with serious bodily injury or death, or be in fear that someone else will face seriously bodily injury or death," he said.
Lynch never claimed that he was making a citizen's arrest and made no mention of holding the men at bay until police arrived, Whitmarsh said.
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008801210328
PostedMonday, January 21, 2008[font="verdana,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"]
[/font][font="verdana,helvetica,arial,sans-serif"] [/font] The case of vigilante justice at a shopping mall last Wednesday afternoon is a good example of why taking criminal matters into your own hands is a dangerous idea.
The harrowing episode involved a pistol-wielding passer-by's attempt to break up a fight between strangers feuding with road rage.
In the parking lot outside the Brandywine Town Center occupants of two cars, who claimed the other car cut them off, began physically fighting.
Shoppers called police but before troopers could get there, a 58-year-old man brandished a pistol and ordered the trio to "get to the ground," according to court records.
According to police he told his "suspects" he had every right to have a gun and did not need to prove he was a police officer or show identification as one of them requested.
It turned out that the weapon was unloaded. The owner could not produce a license for a concealed weapon, a requirement of state law.
Even if he produced a license and the weapon was loaded, he still faced no immediate threat from the fighting suspects. So it was not a case of self-defense.
Police arrested and charged him with felony aggravated menacing, possession of a firearm during a felony as well as carrying a concealed deadly weapon and disorderly conduct.
Despite his good intentions, the passer-by took a serious gamble with the lives of the shoppers and others in that parking lot. Suppose his enraged "suspects"were armed as well. He had no way of knowing.
For all of its immediate satisfaction, vigilante justice can be much more life threatening than many would-be citizen-policemen dream.
The decision to charge the do-gooder in this case was lawful and necessary to avoid copycats whose intentions turn out much worse.
n most of these comments here especially from leo229. 
