Charlotte Car Jacking Suspects Are 14 15 and 12

From Charlotte's Local Media:

A 14-year-old, 15-year-old, and 12-year-old were arrested Monday night after a Honda CR-V with a 4-year-old inside was stolen, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said.

At about 6:15 p.m., officers responded to a stranger (non-parental) kidnapping call for service. In a video released by CMPD after the incident, Eastway Division Capt. Stephen Fischbach said it happened in the parking lot of a laundromat. The laundromat is on Central Avenue near Briar Creek Road, according to the police report for the incident.

The 911 caller said that her SUV was stolen and her 4-year-old child was inside.

Just after 7 p.m. Monday, the stolen Honda crashed at North Graham Street and Rumple Road. The three suspects were arrested and taken into custody, and the 4-year-old was found unharmed.

The two teens were charged with first-degree kidnapping and possession of a stolen vehicle. The 15-year-old also faces a charge of felony flee to elude.

The 12-year-old has been charged with conspiracy to commit larceny of a motor vehicle.

Fischbach said the boy’s mother was inside the laundromat when it happened. He said surveillance video shows two of the suspects scoping out the car while the third stood as lookout. He said the two stole the car while the third left the scene on foot.

Police said after further investigation, the 4-year-old’s mother was also charged. Keeyamah Williams, 35, was cited for misdemeanor child abuse for leaving the child inside the car unsecured, Fischbach said.

Cedar's Take: First degree kidnapping is punished as a Class C felony. In North Carolina the law provides that a person convicted of a Class C felony receives a sentence between 44 and 182 months, depending on prior convictions. Figure that 44 months is pretty light. Bjut just enough to get the two felons out of High School and clear their record.

As for Mom being cited for a misdemeanor is not really being charged. Let's hope DSS gives her a full review. 

Different Day Same Story Charloot's Woke Agenda Is Killing The City

The tweet by local Charlotte media is the same "one person has died after a shooting in east Charlotte.

This time it is a Friday, just after 10:30 in the morning.

CMPD SUV's line the street within the 3600 block of Citiside Drive. The apartment complex two decades ago was a small secluded golf course with small homes built on the perimeter in the 1960's. Once a quiet forgotten green space located between the Plaza and Eastway Drive.

The surrounding "white" neighborhood was upended by Charlotte's City Council's "density saturation" WOKE agenda and the push for affordable housing. 

The golf course closed and the property "re-developed" with the blessing of Charlotte City Council in 2001. The developer even thanked Charlotte City Councilmember Nasif Majeed by naming a street within the project in his honor.

The local news tweets continue:

"Medic says they pronounced one person deceased.CMPD has identified the man shot to death Friday on Citiside Drive in east Charlotte.  Deandre Hagler, 22, was found shot to death inside a car."

Deandre Hagler Photo Courtesy of MCSO

Hagler was known to CMPD with priors including drugs and weapons charges 

A few hours later CMPD Officers arrested Treyvon Young.  

Treyvon Young Photo Courtesy of MCSO

The local media tweets add more narrow context: "Young is charged with Murder and Discharging a Firearm into an Occupied Moving Vehicle".

Connecting Young to the shooting was easy since he was on probation and wearing an electronic monitor at the time of the murder.

By sunset, the last of the crime scene tape still flutters in the wind where once stood the driving range. Over the years the rental rates have declined and with that the demographics. The property owned by "absentee owners" in Provo Utah demand local managers keep the property fully rented with the idea that some rental dollars are better than no rental dollars. In short they'll rent to anyone.

Today burglaries have replaced birdies, and amature golfers have been replaced by carrer felons like Treyvon Young. 

The crimes of not replacing a divot have been replaced with crimes of armed robbery, assault, auto theft, and murder. 

Young had been arrested in February of last year on a charge of AWDWIKISI, and of no surprise, shooting into occupied vehicle and possession of a stolen car. He was released seven days after his arrest on an unsecured "cash free" bail. Free to continue his crime spree. 

Young's other arrest dates include: 12/06/2021, 02/17/2022, 02/10/2022, 06/22/2022, 12/15/2021.

If the justice system worked; Hagler would be alive and in jail and Young would be alive and also in jail. Yet, both would have a chance at changing their lives versus being on the "dirt side" of a golf course and the inside of a jail cell. 

Yet Charlotte City Council calls affordable housing progress.

Daniel Morgan Trial

The man charged in the death of CMPD Officer Mia Goodwin will make a court appearance this morning in Mecklenburg Superior Court Room 5310.

Daniel Morgan has been arraigned on several charges including involuntary manslaughter.

Several local news operations including WSOC's Joe Bruno are expected to be in the court room but, this court appearance is likely just a formality. 

Sources tell CP that a trial date will be set for sometime this summer unless there is a plea of guilty or a plea deal is worked out..

Morgan is also charged with three counts of felony AWDW, reckless driving to endanger, misdemeanor death by motor vehicle, felony failure to move over for stopped emergency vehicles resulting in death or serious injury, and fictitious tag.

Morgan has been out on a $208,500.00 secured bond since his arrest in December of 2021.

UPDATE:

According to CP sources Morgan has entered a plea of "Guilty" to all charges and will be sentenced at a later date.

Second Update: The Local Paper is reporting that Morgan has been sentenced to 16-29 months the charges were consolidated for sentencing under the involuntary manslaughter conviction. 

It is uncertain how long Morgan will actually serve within the State of North Carolina Department of Corrections.

Morgan was taken into custody by Meck County Sheriffs Officers and transferred to the custody of the Meck County Jail.

In Texas "Fu*K Around Find Out" Is Rather Common

 A Texas grand jury will decide whether to criminally charge a Houston "taqueria" patron who shot dead a robber last week, police said.

The Houston Police Department announced Monday the 46-year-old customer has turned himself in and is cooperating with the investigation into the deadly shooting. He has not been named because he was not arrested or charged with any crime.

The attempted heist took place inside of The Ranchito #4 Taqueria around 11:30 p.m. Thursday January 5, 2023, when a suspect, identified as 30-year-old Eric Washington, entered the business, produced what appeared to be a gun and demanded that all patrons hand over their cash and wallets.

Eric Washington Deceased

The 46-year-old Houston diner, seen on surveillance video fatally shooting a robbery suspect, will go before a grand jury, which will decide whether to charge him.

An attorney for the unnamed armed patron, argued that his client was in fear of his life and acted in self-defense.

Surveillance video from the eatery shows customers cowering under tables as the masked and gloved perp, dressed in all black, walks around grabbing their possessions.

As the suspect heads for the exit with his loot, the 46-year-old diner sitting in a booth stands up, pulls out a handgun and opens fire on the robber, causing him to collapse.

.

Then, while standing directly over the suspect, the customer shoots him again at point-blank range, as seen in the video.

The armed good Samaritan then collected the stolen money and belongings from Washington and returned them to their owners before fleeing the taqueria.

Video from The Ranchito Taqueria shows Washington walking into the eatery brandishing what looks like a gun and demanding cash from patrons.

The short version of the video is here.

Washington was pronounced dead at the scene. Police later determined that the gun in his possession was not real.

After police issued a public plea asking the armed customer to come forward so they could interview him about the shooting, his attorney released a statement to the station ABC 13 defending his actions.

“In fear of his life and his friend’s life my client acted to protect everyone in the restaurant,” the attorney wrote, stressing that in Texas “a shooting is justified in self-defense, defense of others and in defense of property.”

The unidentified diner has since met with prosecutors from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and with police homicide detectives.

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, and the man’s attorney said they are “confident the Grand Jury will conclude that the shooting was justified under Texas Law.”

After the diner shot him multiple times, it was determined that the gun in Washington’s possession wasn’t real. 

The lawyer described the incident as “traumatic” to his client, and noted that “taking a human life is something he does not take lightly and will burden him for the rest of his life.”

Records indicate that the robbery suspect, Eric Washington, had an extensive criminal history and was out on bond at the time of the fatal shooting.

In 2015, Washington was convicted of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and sentenced to 15 years in prison in connection with the fatal shooting of 62-year-old Hamid Waraich two years prior.

The good Samaritan and the rest of the patrons fled the taqueria before police arrived. KTRK

Washington was released on parole in 2021 after serving less than half of his sentence, but he was back behind bars in mid-December after being arrested for allegedly shoving and scratching his girlfriend.

Washington was charged in that incident with misdemeanor family violence and was subsequently released on a personal recognizance bond.

“Eric was an evil criminal that took joy in harassing and robbing innocent families,” Waraich’s son Sean Waraich told the station. “The individual at the taqueria is a true hero.”

Cedar's Take: 1. Stop releasing violent felons. 2. Stop granting early parole for violent felons. 3. Stop giving low or no bail to violent felons. Finally incarceration saves lives. PERIOD!

And should you wish to dig a little deeper, (Caution this is for only those students of law or the desperate to know how this "self-defense" argument in Texas may play out) CP offers this detailed exploration here.

Update: What's Up With the Rea Road Truck Stop?

Props to WSOC's Joe Bruno for noticing that Charlotte City Council has plans to discuss illegal truck parking at its annual retreat this month. 

Councilmembers say they have seen an increase in complaints about trucks illegally parking on ramps and streets, particularly in Districts 2 and 4.

CP Post from Mid-December regarding the same is here.

I-485 Outer and Rea Road Exit 59.

“It is very annoying and just so unattractive,” Antoinette Mingo, a District 4 resident, said.

Antoinette Mingo says she is fed up with trucks parking on the side of streets and ramps and not just because they are unappealing, but also because of safety.

“The trucks are no tiny vehicles. Those are huge vehicles,” she said. “It is a safety issue.”

The city thinks so, as well. Councilmembers Renee Johnson and Malcolm Graham have been leading voices on the issue.

“We have to address this. Our residents have to know we are addressing semi-truck parking, grass and litter issues, specifically in District 4,” Johnson said. “We have a huge, huge problem in the city.”

“I think it is an immediate concern,” Graham said.

The city identified seven areas as problem spots where tractor-trailers are frequently found including on ramps to Interstate 485 in the University area, the Interstate 85 Connector and West Sugar Creek north of West W.T. Harris Boulevard.

According to Housing and Neighborhood Services, code violations have jumped from under 300 in 2019 to 830 in 2022. According to HNS, Code Enforcement does not have the authority to tow and a citation can only be issued if a previous notice of violation has been issued. Staff members are canvassing in the areas of concern at least two days a week.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

According to HNS, CMPD has been issuing parking citations, but the fine is only $25 and has “had little effect on the situation.” HNS says potential solutions include educational campaigns, no parking signs and making it easier to report violations.

Mayor Vi Lyles says the issue mainly stems from drivers having to pull over after hitting a certain number of hours on the road.

Mingo wishes they would park at rest areas or designated locations. She’s glad the city is looking for solutions.

“I am saying it is a city, a county and state problem because they should be working together for their constituents,” she said.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation says trucks are not allowed to park on ramps and posting no-parking signs are not required by law.

The transportation department says truck parking on ramps has become an ongoing maintenance expense due to the degradation of pavement. NCDOT says there also may be drop-offs from the edge of the pavement to the shoulder.

According to NCDOT, unless a truck is disabled or directed by law enforcement, it should not be parked on a ramp at any time.

Charlotte City Council member Ed Driggs, the long serving "Potted Plant" hasn't responded to email requests regarding the continuing hazard. 

As Joe Bruno's story points out it is not just 485 and Rea Road, West Blvd on Ramp, Wilkinson near the Amazon Wearhouse and several locations on the east side of 485.

Driver's say that they hate rest areas and Flying "J" and Pilot truck stops are often full and charge a fee.to park usually 12 to 18 dollars in the Southeast. Both Rea and West Blvd. are low volume ramps during the small hours of the night and that also makes them attractive.

While CLT Council member Driggs is unresponsive NC DOT was quick to point out that the problem is the North Carolina SHP's responsibility: 

Because these tractor trailers are not construction vehicles as part of the (485 Toll Road) project, we do not have the authority to remove them from the shoulder. However, I have contacted the NC highway patrol and they are able to police that from happening. Hopefully they will stay on top of it. If you have any more comments or questions, please do not hesitate to respond.

Thanks,

Brian Davis

Resident Engineer

NC DOT in this regard has been surprisingly efficient, at least in a response. CP suspects that if left to CLTCC they will treat it as they do the panhandlers, that is do nothing.

Three Finger Jack (Kyre Mitchell) Sues CMPD

 

And then there's this from the Queen City News — A protestor who lost two fingers during a 2020 Charlotte protest has filed a lawsuit against the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

The suit takes issue with how police handled the protests related to George Floyd, a man who died during a Minneapolis arrest on May 25, 2020. Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests.

Kyre Mitchell (aka 3 Finger Jack) alleges the city and police used tactics that injured peaceful protestors in Uptown during a May 30, 2020, incident.

Lawyers say Mitchell lost two fingers on his right hand when a flashbang device used by officers exploded on him. Mitchell also suffered deep burns to his palm.

Photo Courtesy of 3 Finger Jack

The suit alleges that Mitchell was “violently assaulted and permanently maimed by Defendants that night, who recklessly used weapons and other needlessly dangerous tactics under the guise of “crowd control” to suppress, deter, and injure Mr. Mitchell – and others who similarly sought to exercise their First Amendment right to peaceably protest police violence and brutality.”

Mitchell’s lawyers said CMPD used “tear gas, flashbangs and other chemical munitions” on Mitchell and others to “terrorize, retaliate and punish Mr. Mitchell and other protesters for peacefully protesting against systemic police violence.”

The suit named specific CMPD officers in the incident.

The Lawsuit as filed is here.

Cedar's Take: What the lawsuit doesn't say is that 3 Finger Jack was allegedly holding the "Flash Bang" device seemingly attempting to hurl it towards officers when the device activated.  Perhaps the device landed at his feet and within 1.5 seconds (Normal det time) he picked up the canister and it exploded.

His injuries appear to be rather catastrophic and indictive of someone holding the device when it activates. 

Across the country as the nightly protests occurred, protestors could be seen throwing tear gas canisters back at police. CMPD officers had deployed smoke and later tear gas and flash bang devices as the violence escalated.  

Unfortunately for 3 Finger Jack, "Smoke", "Tear Gas" and "Flash Bang" devices look somewhat similar and in his apparent effort mimic other protestors picked up a flash bang and not a smoke cannister.

Mitchell posing for the local paper

A cursory review of the lawsuit shows a number of typos and grammatical errors, however the opening quote from MLK is a nice touch. 

In the end the city will settle and life will go on.

Sidebar: A nod to 3 Finger Jack, if you ever get out west you need to spend some time in Oregon. It's that state between Washington and California that gets little attention. It is that lack of attention that makes Oregon cool, and up along the cascade range on the Pacific Crest Trail there are endless climbs and hikes. There you will also find Three Fingered Jack a group of peaks that are not quite 14's but worth the effort. 

Welcome to the (Hat Trick) Jungle

Early Sunday morning, CMPD reported a death investigation in the 900 block of Moretz Avenue, which is just west of North Graham.

Then 2 hours later CMPD reported a Homicide investigation in the 300 block of Blackhawk Road, which is near the Hidden Valley neighborhood.

Then around 4 p.m., CMPD said it was investigating a another homicide in west Charlotte as Officers responded to the 3500 block of West Tyvola Road.

Starting 2023 with a "Hat Trick" of Homicides - what could be more Charloot than the ongoing slaughter of humanity while democrat leadership endlessly yap about diversity, equity and legalized weed?

Just watch as Charlotte City Council continues their misguided "affordable housing" agenda in 2023 converting single family neighborhoods into density saturated nightmares.

Democrat's WOKE agenda will forever change the character of many of Charlotte's most attractive neighborhoods forcing a purge of wealth to outlying counties as crime surges and CMPD ranks continue to shrink.

HAPPY NEW YEAR Charloot!

Cedar Update: The first homicide may be ruled accidental. But let's be clear the shooting death of a juvenile is a homicide. A murder of our youth is caused by the African American Communities' culture of violence that embraces criminality and gunplay.

The leadership of Charlotte now largely people of color are so accustomed to violence that they have accepted this as a way of life. You will notice that not one of them will speak out about these three deaths, a "Hat Trick" of Violence on the first day of the New Year.

Their continued silence is deafening, and shall not go unnoticed.