Men accused of having loaded guns outside Ypsilanti court were there for traffic ticket
This story has been updated with Fletcher and Thomas' mugshots.
The two Detroit men who were accused of having loaded handguns outside of the 14A-2 District Court in Ypsilanti told police they were not looking for trouble and were in the area to deal with a traffic ticket.
Antonio Isaiah Thomas
Courtesy of the WCSO
However, Detective Sgt. Thomas Eberts said that Antonio Isaiah Thomas and Terrance Fletcher are now being held in the Washtenaw County Jail on $50,000 cash bonds after they were arrested Monday. Thomas, 22, and Fletcher, 24, were in the area to see a magistrate about a traffic ticket, Eberts said.
“Apparently, they carry guns for protection,” he said. “They weren’t looking for any problems, according to them.”
Lt. Craig Annas spotted the two men next to their motorcycles in the court’s parking lot Monday morning, police said. Fletcher is accused of pulling a handgun — later discovered to be a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic — out of a compartment in his motorcycle and placing it in his waistband.
Annas called patrol officers to the area and said Fletcher, upon seeing police, ran away, throwing the handgun away. He was caught a short time later and placed under arrest, police said.
Terrance Fletcher
Courtesy of the WSCO
Thomas also allegedly attempted to leave the area on foot, walking toward the nearby police station. Police said they confronted him and arrested him. They said they found a 9-mm semi-automatic handgun in his waistband.
Fletcher is charged with carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, a felony firearms charge, being in possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer.
Thomas faces charges of carrying a concealed weapon, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, a felony firearms charge and assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer.
The men were arraigned Tuesday afternoon. The date of their preliminary examination was not immediately known Tuesday.
Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@annarbor.com or you can follow him on Twitter.
Comments
ronny
Thu, Aug 23, 2012 : 9:04 a.m.
damm super thugs! they where ready to set it off! a 45 and a 9mm in front of a court house,they for sure didn,t get the memo! or coudln,t read the the big ass ypsilanti police station sign. Do you think they where ready to set it off over a ticket? lol
Cathy
Fri, Aug 24, 2012 : 1:28 a.m.
I'm guessing they are not adept readers.
Cathy
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 10:53 p.m.
I certainly sympathize with people who want to protect themselves, but the fact that Fletcher bolted and ditched the gun suggests that he might not have been legally allowed to possess a firearm (e.g. due to felony conviction), or that the gun was not properly registered or somehow illegal (e.g. stolen). And, as others have pointed it, guns are not allowed in court houses. The article, unfortunately, is less clear re: Mr. Thomas, who is said only to have "attempted to leave the area on foot." Was he attempting to elude police, or was he just going about his business? Neither of these guys is listed on OTIS, but that doesn't mean they've never been in trouble.
Joker Man
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 4:18 p.m.
They brought the guns with them because they were afraid they would get stolen out of their motorcycle compartments. You can't lock them.
Goodphotographer
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 6:30 p.m.
Maybe they thought they could use the lockers to lock them up.
Stan Hyne
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 5:13 p.m.
And they came from Detroit and needed them there.
Goodphotographer
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 3:24 p.m.
The questions that come to mind when reading this are: 1 Did they in fact have a ticket to pay at the court house? 2 If so was it on the court docket? 3 Did they intend to harm anyone in or near the court house? 4 If there was no ticket to deal with; Did they even know where they were? 5 Would they have been able to walk into a court room armed? The answers to some of these questions may never be known. It's hard for me to understand how, in this day and age anyone that does not have a permit to carry in a court of law would even try to. I think most CPL holders know to not do such a thing. I'm sure most criminals do know this is not a wise choice as well. That being said, one has to wonder... What was the 'plan for the day' these two guys were came up with? Sometimes pulling a gun out near a police station and a court house can be the fastest route to JAIL. As far as color...color them lucky. I'm sure the outcome would have been much different in some other towns. I can't help but think of that Kenny Rodgers hit. You gotta know when to hold um...know when to fold um... know when to walk away... know when to ride. : D
Goodphotographer
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 6:29 p.m.
I agree. That is why I don't think these two guys knew where they were. That would mean they were up to something else. There is a bank nearby. Also there is a big sign posted for the court house and police department. Talk about an easy day at the office for YPD. Ypsi PD: "Not in my driveway you don't! : D
Hmm
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 3:53 p.m.
As for your #5 they have metal detectors as soon as you walk into any courthouse, I doubt they would have even made it in the building considering that. Who knows what these two were thinking but if they thought they could bring handguns in the court they were even dumber than they look.
philmar111
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 2:18 p.m.
These postings bring out the best and the WORST in people about any issue.
Enso
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 1:44 p.m.
End gun control laws! These men should have the right to carry guns whenever and however they please! Second Amendment! Right to Bear Arms! blah blah blah oh yeah, they aren't white. nevermind.
djacks24
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 2:19 p.m.
Doesn't matter what color they are. They had concealed weapons on government property, then tried fleeing and eluding police. If they were white they would be accused of plotting and attempting to carry out a hate crime.
simply amazed
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 2:12 p.m.
Seriously?
Fester
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 12:06 p.m.
Arrested for exercising their 2nd amendment rights.
Tom Todd
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 12:23 p.m.
Laws are all about Contradictions,nice police work. I agree Overworked/Underpaid.
Domey
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 11:39 a.m.
Can they take their guns to prison with them? You know, just for protection. I don't think prison is much safer than Ypsilanti.
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 6:37 a.m.
How to turn a $100 traffic ticket into 5 years in jail and up to $5000 in fines. Nice trick - these motorheads really aren't well adapted to normal life. Harry Balczak's comment qualifies for Best Comment of the Month. :-)
TinyArtist
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 1:53 p.m.
No it does not. But I suspect Harry Balczak is a pseudonym that just might qualify for some other award.
nickcarraweigh
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 4:18 a.m.
You can see their point about needing protection, I think, because where are you going to find more criminals than a courthouse? And not just the lawyers, either.
PineyWoodsGuy
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 3:39 a.m.
Let's get this Straight. Two guys with loaded handguns walk into a courthouse to protest a "parking ticket'? If the Judge/Magistrate rules adverse to the Gun Guys, what will they do? Should the Magistrate/Judge duck down below the Bench (that hopefully, has ballistic protection)? These dudes should be Sent to Prison! End of Case. Don t give me any "liberal? stuff!!! I will follow this story. If these jerks are not Sent to Prison, then I am ready to declare Washtenaw County "justice" as a "Disaster Zone."
Tru2Blu76
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 6:41 a.m.
Just the CCW charge alone may bring up to 5 years in prison and/or $5000 in fines. These boys really piled a lot of extras onto that. So yeah, I'd also like to see they get some serious judgements after their little (bonehead) spree.
brian
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 3:10 a.m.
Good job YPD, you Guys and Gals are overworked and under paid. Keep up the great work.
PineyWoodsGuy
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 2:22 a.m.
Anyone that attempts to carry a loaded gun into a courtroom should be dealt with severely. Come On Dudes! You want Ypsilanti to make the national news? "Parking Ticket"? Give me a break! There is more to this story and I call upon annarbor.com to get to the bottom of it.
racerx
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 2:16 a.m.
So if they had permits everything would be ok and the guns wouldn't had been allowed inside the court house right? Note to self, obtain CCW permit.
Billy-Gene Norris
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 1:33 a.m.
This might cost the tax payers big time. http://www.opencarry.org/ guess most think it not lawful. MICHIGAN is a open carry state get use to it.
Shi Schultz
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 11:31 a.m.
As Jack Campbell stated, I'm fairly confident MI law states something along the lines of "carry an EXPOSED, HOLSTERED, pistol". But of course, let's stand up for these good, law abiding citizens who come only to "deal with a traffic ticket", possess weapons on government owned property, run from and ASSUALT police officers. Doesn't anyone remember the DPD shootout over a year ago? Exceptional job by Lt. Craig Annas, thank you for your dedicated service.
Jack Campbell
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 3:02 a.m.
a. They were NOT openly carrying b. Can't carry firearms into the courthouse c. They ran from police throwing down their firearms There is a point when pro-gun becomes gun-nut. There are LAWS regarding firearms in MICHIGAN get used to it.
WalkingJoe
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 1:46 a.m.
OK, then why did these two try to run and hide their weapons?
notta
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 12:42 a.m.
i wonder if things like this will make the pure michigan campaign..... :)
WalkingJoe
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
So why did they think they needed loaded guns to take care of a traffic ticket? And just how were they planning on taking care of it?
Absent
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 10:44 p.m.
Those are some very serious charges for being stupid and or careless.
WalkingJoe
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 11:53 p.m.
I think you could have left off the "and or careless" part.
stevek
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 10:29 p.m.
"Guns don't kill people". "People who carry loaded semi-automatic guns who are not looking for trouble but throw weapons away and run from the police, kill people".
HB11
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 10:17 p.m.
"Apparently, they carry guns for protection," he said. "They weren't looking for any problems, according to them." Silly me, I spent all of that time and money on my CPL, range time, ammo, and trying to be responsible. I could just say "who cares" like these fine, upstanding citizens. Oh wait, the police care.
Cory C
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 1:42 p.m.
Fester, the 2nd amendment says you can have a gun, and openly carry it. However you cannot have it concealed, according to Michigan law. Open carry is fine, but as soon as you stick it inside your waistband, it's considered concealed. If these guys had spent the time and money to get a CPL, this would have been a simple "Oh, ok, carry on".
Fester
Wed, Aug 22, 2012 : 12:09 p.m.
Where in the 2nd amendment does it state you have to spend time and money on a CPL, range time and trying to be responsible in order to have a gun?
dading dont delete me bro
Tue, Aug 21, 2012 : 9:57 p.m.
"...were in the area to see a magistrate about a traffic ticket" wink wink