Weapon Possession

Published on: January 27, 2018

Felon Father Found With Firearms in Reach of Children

Four children were taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services on Tuesday when a child abuse investigation at their home uncovered illegal firearms and ammunition stored in the open and unsecured.

Paul Anthony Cruz, a father and convicted felon, was being interviewed by South Pasadena police at his home on January 23, due to suspicions that his children were being abused. A social worker from the Los Angeles County Department of Child and Family Services was also present.

While inside the home and speaking to the father, officers allegedly discovered a semi-automatic assault-style rifle that was fully loaded inside of the bedroom of one of the children. The social worker took custody of the four children residing with Cruz; three youngsters and one 11-year-old boy.

Continue reading →

Published on: November 13, 2017

Third Grade Boy Arrested When Gun in his Backpack Fires in Classroom

by Staycie R. Sena

On Friday morning at an elementary school in Milledgeville, Georgia a third grader was arrested when a gun allegedly went off in his backpack while he was in his classroom.

The 8-year-old boy attends Lakeview Academy, a private college preparatory school in Baldwin County. He was tardy when arriving on Friday morning, and his classmates were gathered in the front of the classroom reading. He was reportedly looking through his backpack in the rear of the class when a 9-millimeter Smith and Wesson handgun discharged through the bag.

The boy was held in the classroom until the school resource officer arrived, and he was taken into custody prior to being transported to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office.

Continue reading →

Published on: May 8, 2014

Juvenile Brings Loaded Gun to Garden Grove Middle School

by Staycie R. Sena

On Monday, police received an anonymous tip that a student at Jordan Intermediate School in Garden Grove had a weapon. They responded and discovered an eighth grade student at that school had a .38 caliber semiautomatic handgun in his possession along with a loaded clip in his pocket. Nobody was injured.

The child was arrested and sent to Orange County Juvenile Hall on weapons charges. Police discovered that the handgun was registered to a member of his family. They quickly obtained a warrant and searched his home, where they found a .22 caliber firearm that was not registered. The owner of that gun was cited and released.

Continue reading →

Published on: April 18, 2014

Prison Sentence For Man Who Fired Shots In Fashion Island Parking Lot

by Staycie R. Sena

Only one day after the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting that took the lives of 20 children and six teachers in Newtown, Connecticut, Marcos Gurrola allegedly took out a .40-caliber Glock handgun in a crowded Orange County mall parking lot and fired 54 rounds toward the Macy’s building. He stopped shooting and surrendered when two Newport Beach police officers on bicycles arrived. Gurrola was in possession of six magazines for his handgun, with even more in his car.

He was charged with 54 felony counts of firing a weapon at an inhabited dwelling, 2 counts of assault, plus two firearm enhancements. The reasons for Gurrola’s actions are inconclusive. He reportedly claimed that when he fired his gun, it made him feel better. Police said in 2012 that Gurrola told a detective he fired his gun because he was angry, but was not aiming at anybody.

Continue reading →

Published on: June 19, 2012

Police Chief’s Wife Goes Wild!

by Staycie R. Sena

In a recent story from the Orange County Register, the wife of Oceanside police chief Frank McCoy suffered a fit of depression in 2010 that stemmed from a domestic argument between her and her 17-year old son. Outraged that Mr. McCoy took the side of the son during the dispute, wife Brinda McCoy, 49, took the law into her own hands. She grabbed a gun and initiated a fierce standoff with police officers outside their Cypress home in Orange County, at one point firing several shots in the direction of officers before coming out her front door saying, “f——– shoot me,” disobeying officer’s orders for her to show her hands. She was quickly subdued by the SWAT team and arrested.

During the criminal trial, prosecutors contend that McCoy ignored the law by waving and pointing her husband’s service semiautomatic handgun at them and firing twice. McCoy denied seeing officers, or shooting at them. On June 18, 2012, Brinda McCoy was convicted of five counts of assault on police officers. Although she walked out of the courthouse on bail and in tears, she is lucky to be alive. Pointing or firing a handgun at police officers will result in police firing back with intent to kill. Similarly, disobeying police orders to show her hands increases tension in officers already on edge, knowing she was in possession of a weapon that she had already fired twice.

Continue reading →

Published on: March 9, 2010

Rapper Jailed for Possession of a Deadly Weapon

by Staycie R. Sena

The rapper Lil’ Wayne started a one year jail sentence for possession of a deadly weapon yesterday. More precisely, he was convicted in New York for having a loaded gun on his tour bus. (As a side note, his sentencing was delayed twice. Once so that he could have his diamond-studded braces removed [probably a good thing before going into custody] and yet again because of a flood at the Manhattan courthouse.) This plea-bargain was not rash. He presumably had good attorneys and the case was fought for several years. Lil’ Wayne was originally arrested on this charge back in 2007. What is surprising is the severity of the sentence. As an Orange County criminal law attorney or criminal defense lawyer, I have represented numerous defendants charged with possession of a deadly weapon and many of those weapons have been loaded guns. Never have I had a client sentenced to such a lengthy jail term, however.

While it is possible that authorities are intent on making an example of him, it may also be the case that something warranted such a large sentense: Lil’ Wayne’s background or RAP sheet. Prior convictions will ALWAYS increase the penalties for future trangressions. I don’t know if Lil’ Wayne had ever been convicted before, but the fact that he still faces felony weapon and drug charges in Arizona suggests that he is not new to run-ins with the law.

Continue reading →