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Now who was it that said criminals don't open carry?

TFred

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This is truly classic... Follow the link for pictures of these fine individuals...

http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/122008/12022008/429009

This gas station is less than a mile from my house... :shock:

TFred


Four facing robbery charges

December 2, 2008 12:35 am

BY KEITH EPPS

Fredericksburg police officer Jeff Wood suspected that the car he stopped late Sunday had been involved in a crime.

The four young men in the vehicle ended up being charged with a far more serious crime than that which Wood initially suspected.

According to city police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe, the four are accused of an armed robbery at the East Coast gas station on Lafayette Boulevard that occurred shortly before Wood made the traffic stop.

Wood stopped the vehicle, a white Crown Victoria with temporary license plates, because its occupants had been accused of brandishing firearms outside a city restaurant earlier in the evening.

Bledsoe said police went to Claiborne's restaurant at 508 Lafayette Boulevard about 10:05 p.m.

Two employees reported that they were taking a break outside the restaurant when the Crown Victoria drove by slowly twice.

The car then stopped at the corner of Caroline and Charlotte streets and two young men got out. The two eventually walked toward Claiborne's carrying handguns.

The employees rushed back inside the business and called police. A description of the vehicle was then broadcast, Bledsoe said.

At 10:40 p.m., Bledsoe said, a clerk at the East Coast station reported that he'd been robbed by two armed men wearing hoodies.

One stayed in front of the counter while the other forced the clerk to give him money from a cash drawer. Both had their guns pointed at the clerk, Bledsoe said.

The clerk never saw a vehicle, Bledsoe said, but a pizza delivery driver saw a white Crown Victoria pull out of a shopping center across from the gas station and pick up two people who were running down Lafayette Boulevard.

Wood was one of numerous officers heading for the East Coast station when he spotted the car turning onto U.S. 1 from Twin Lakes Drive.

Wood didn't know at the time that a car matching that description had been seen leaving the area of the robbery, Bledsoe said. But he was aware of the Claiborne's incident.

Bledsoe said that if not for the brandishing incident at Claiborne's, Wood would not have stopped the car.

Wood pulled the vehicle over on Learning Lane near two city schools and waited for backup. A pile of money and three guns were found in the vehicle.

Three 18-year-old Spotsylvania residents--Eric Lamar Caldwell, Jerome Lamonte Johnson and Matthew Ausby Meadows--were charged with robbery, as was 20-year-old Ashton Lee Brooks of Fredericksburg.

Caldwell was driving the car, police said, while Brooks and Meadows are suspected of being the gunmen.

Bledsoe said the investigation is continuing and more charges are pending.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com
 

Bubba Ron

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Your topic title is ridiculous, did these criminals have their guns in holsters? The article indicates they were carrying them - I take that to mean "in their hand" - not in a holster which is what people that "open carry" do.
 

DHCruiser

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Agreed, I read it the same way. At no point does it state they were carrying their guns openly in a holster. It only references them carrying the guns in their hands, which is completely different from open carry.
 

eyesopened

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They were not open carrying, they were holding their pistols in their hand. It would have been open carrying if they had the pistols in their holsters, walked into the store and then drew their pistols to hold the place up. I bet they didn't even have holsters.
 

TFred

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Well, I meant it to be more a satirical point of how ridiculous the actions of these criminals was, not to be a literal comparison to legal open carry.

Of course I knew they were brandishing, which is why the sub-title to the thread says "brandishing got them caught" and all the pertinent portions of the story were highlighted.

Goodness, I've been posting here for weeks and weeks, why would I suddenly turn toward the dark side?

TFred, slightly amazed at some fairly shallow folks this morning...
ETA: And wishing he had said it better!
 

TFred

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marshaul wrote:
lol, TFred, don't worry about it, we're just giving you a hard time. ;)
Thanks, I feel a little better now... :)

On a positive note, most of the comments on the linked article are fairly friendly! There can be some real anti-folks who read and comment the FLS.

TFred
 

TFred

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jayarmbar wrote:
Now I feel like a total tool!! I thought you were flaming. My bad TFred please accept my apology.
No biggie... a poorly told story is at least partly the fault of the teller... apparently I was unclear in my meaning... but... anyway... for what it's worth...

TFred
 
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