Thread: 1 Suspect at Large, 3 Arrested in Alleged Baton Rouge Plot to Kill Cops

JUL 12 2016, 7:13 PM ET

1 Suspect at Large, 3 Arrested in Alleged Baton Rouge Plot to Kill Cops

by ALEX JOHNSON




A suspect remains at large in an alleged plot to kill officers at protests after the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling at a Louisiana store, authorities said Tuesday.

Col. Mike Edmonson, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, said at a news conference that the plot, had it been carried out, would have caused "substantial harm to police in the Baton Rouge area."

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. said the plot was uncovered after a robbery Saturday shortly after midnight at a pawn shop where at least eight firearms were stolen. All were handguns, and all but two of them have been recovered, police said.

Four people were involved in the plot, Dabadie said — one of them just 13 years old. Three have been arrested, but the fourth — whose identity isn't known — remains at large, he said.

At the scene, one of the suspects revealed "real, credible evidence" that law enforcement officers were to have been targeted, Dabadie said.

Edmonson said that as long as the suspect remains free, all local law enforcement officers are under a "credible threat."




All of the officials at the news conference — including the head of the local office of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — variously described the threat as "real," "substantial" and "credible."

Authorities said they couldn't reveal more details because the investigation is active and undercover officers remain the field.

But in a reference to the fatal shootings of five police officers after a protest last week, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid J. Gatreaux said: "Look at what happened in Dallas — a peaceful protest. The threat speaks for itself. We can't take anything for granted anymore."


Alton Sterling. WVLA-TV

Authorities in Baton Rouge arrested almost 150 people in weekend protests over the shootingof Sterling, 37, on July 5.

Two police officers, both of them white, are on administrative leave pending an investigation. The U.S. Justice Department has opened a separate investigation of possible civil rights violations.

The shooting, which was recorded on cellphone video, set off days of protests in Baton Rouge, where demonstrators have been met by hundreds of heavily armed and shielded police and sheriff's deputies.

Police have told NBC News that most of those arrested were from out of town, but local leaders maintain that the show of force is a good representation of severely strained relations between law enforcement and African-American residents.

The president of the local chapter of the NAACP has called on Dabadie to resign as police chief.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/...t-kill-n608231

Three suspects, including a 13-year-old, arrested for stealing guns from a pawn shop as part of plot to harm police officers in Baton Rouge - while a fourth remains at large

Authorities discovered plot while responding to burglary on Saturday

Police arrested three suspects accused of stealing several handguns

Antonio Thomas, 17, was arrested at the scene with a handgun and BB gun

Malik Bridgewater, 20, and the 13-year-old were later apprehended

Authorities called on fourth suspect, who is at large, to turn himself in

Thefts were part of alleged plot to harm cops in Baton Rouge, police say

Eight guns were stolen from the shop, but only six have been recovered

Another man was arrested for allegedly purchasing two of the stolen guns, but he hasn't been linked to the alleged plot

By KHALEDA RAHMAN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 23:03 GMT, 12 July 2016 | UPDATED: 02:34 GMT, 13 July 2016

Police have arrested three suspects and were seeking a possible fourth accused of stealing several handguns as part of a 'substantial, credible threat' to harm police officers in the Baton Rouge area.

Authorities in Baton Rouge discovered the alleged plot while responding to a burglary at a pawn shop early on Saturday morning, Baton Rouge police Chief Carl Dabadie said in a press conference.

Officers had responded to an alarm at the Cash America Pawn on Government Street at around 2am.

They arrested one suspect - Antonio Thomas, 17 - at the scene with a handgun and a BB gun.

During questioning, Thomas said that he and three other suspects stole the firearms and 'were going to get bullets to shoot police,' authorities said.

Another suspect, Malik Bridgewater, 20, was apprehended on Sunday and a third suspect - a 13-old boy - was apprehended on a street.

On Tuesday, the chief also confirmed that Thomas told police that 'the reason the burglary was being done was to harm police officers.'

Dabadie said the suspect did not give any details about when or where a possible plot would be carried out.

Scroll down for video

Police arrested three suspects and were seeking a possible fourth accused of stealing several
handguns as part of a 'substantial, credible threat' to harm police officers. Antonio Thomas (left)
and Malik Bridgewater (right) were arrested in the plot


Officers responded to an alarm at the Cash America Pawn on Government Street at 2am on Saturday

They called on the fourth suspect, who remains at large and has not been identified, to turn himself in.

All of the suspects are from Baton Rouge and all are black. They face charges including burglary, simple burglary, and theft of a firearm; they have not been arrested on any charges related to plotting to kill police.

Another man was arrested for allegedly purchasing two of the stolen guns illegally on the street, but he hasn't been linked to the alleged plot, a police spokesman said.

Trashone Coats, 23, was charged with illegal possession of a stolen firearm.

Six of the eight stolen firearms have been recovered and two are still at large, authorities said.

In a statement, Louisiana State police said surveillance video showed the suspects using a ladder to climb the roof of the building to get in. Eight handguns and one airsoft BB gun were missing from the store.


Authorities in Baton Rouge discovered the alleged plot while responding to a burglary at a pawn shop
early on Saturday morning, Baton Rouge police Chief Carl Dabadie (center) said on Tuesday

State Police Col. Mike Edmonson called it a 'substantial, credible threat' to police.

Several law enforcement agencies are now investigating, including East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana State Police and the ATF.

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions after the deadly police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge and Minnesota and the killing of five police officers in Dallas last week.


Trashone Coats (above), 23, was arrested after police
found him with the stolen guns, which he had
purchased 'on the street'

Alton Sterling, 37, was killed outside the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rouge during a scuffle with police on July 5.

Then on Wednesday, Philando Castile, 32, was shot by a white police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, during a traffic stop on Wednesday.

His girlfriend Diamond Reynolds live streamed the gruesome aftermath of his death on Facebook.

Protests spread across the country as people expressed outrage over the deaths.

Most have been peaceful, but in Dallas last Thursday, a Black Lives Matter protest turned deadly when Army veteran Micah Johnson, 25, opened fire amid the demonstration.

He killed four Dallas police officers and a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer, as well as injuring several more, before he was killed by police using a remote-controlled bomb on a robot in the early hours of Friday morning.

Since then, the Baton Rouge police department has come under criticism for the tactics it's employed to deal with protesters, using riot police and military-style vehicles on the streets of the city.

Over a three day period, police arrested about 200 protesters.

'We have been questioned repeatedly over the last several days about our show of force and why we have the tactics that we have,' Dabadie said on Tuesday.

'Well, this is the reason, because we had credible threats against the lives of law enforcement in this city.'


Three people have been arrested for stealing guns in a 'credible threat' to harm police officers in
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Tuesday. Pictured, protesters in the city on Saturday


The death of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge last Tuesday has sparked protests in the city every day since.
Above, Ieshia Evans was detained for impeding traffic during a protest on Saturday


Evans was taken into police custody by Baton Rouge police officers in riot gear on Saturday

Police said they have increased their presence in Baton Rouge due to the 'very real and viable threats' to law enforcement in the area, CNN reports.

The alleged plot was the main reason they were quick to become aggressive when they believed protesters in the city were becoming disruptive over the weekend.

'We can't take anything for granted anymore,' East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said.

'What you saw in the law enforcement response is because of the very real and viable threats against law enforcement.'

He added: 'Look what happened in Dallas. A very peaceful protest and then some crazy madman.'

A week after Sterling, was shot and killed by two white police officers in Baton Rouge outside a convenience store, tension remain high in the city.

The Justice Department has opened a federal civil rights investigation into Sterling's shooting.

But while protesters demand justice for Sterling, the shootings in Dallas last week and other attacks on police around the country have put the police on edge.


The arrests come a week after the deadly police shooting of Alton Sterling (right) in Baton Rouge.
Philando Castile (left) was shot dead by a police officer in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, last Wednesday


Protesters gather at the intersection of N. Foster and Fairfields, near the Triple S Food Mart in Baton Rpuge
where Alton Sterling was shot and killed by Baton Rouge Police

In the first few days after Sterling's death, police took a reserved approach to enforcement, keeping a low profile as hundreds gathered outside the convenience store where Sterling died.

But tensions escalated at weekend protests that moved away from the store and into other areas of the city, with nearly 200 people arrested and a show of force from law enforcement that included police wielding batons, armed with long guns and wearing shields.

After nearly a week of protests over Sterling's killing, Baton Rouge officers, state police and other law enforcement agencies have received criticism for their methods of dealing with demonstrators.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana has criticized police as using 'violent, militarized tactics on groups of people who have gathered peacefully.' Amnesty International has questioned the high number of arrests.

But earlier on Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards defended the police response to protesters rallying against the shooting death of a black man by white officers, saying the riot gear and weaponry was appropriate.


A Black Lives Matter protest in Dallas last Thursday turned deadly when Army veteran Micah Johnson, 25,
opened fire and killed five police officers

'We've had a police officer with teeth knocked out of his face because of a rock.

'If you don't have on riot gear, you have no defense against that sort of thing,' said the Democratic governor, who comes from a family of sheriffs.

'In light of what happened in Dallas, understanding that just one gunman can change the situation entirely, how do you in good conscience put police officers on the street without the ability to defend themselves?' he said.

Meanwhile, community leaders have tried to defuse tension and keep interactions between protesters and law enforcement calm.

State Rep. Ted James, a black lawyer who grew up in the area where Sterling was shot, and Cleve Dunn Jr., a prominent black businessman in Baton Rouge, met with local Republican leaders at a public luncheon to discuss the shooting.

The two men have showed up at protests and urged calm.

'I truly believe that we can have parallel conversations about respect for police officers, making sure that they're safe, but also have a parallel conversation about the things that are happening with African-American males across the country,' James said.

James said black community leaders want Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to appoint a special prosecutor to handle any state investigation into Sterling's shooting death.

He said the attorney general's office doesn't have the level of expertise to do the investigation and the appointment of an outside prosecutor would depoliticize the work.

Anyone with information is urged asked to contact the Baton Rouge Police Department at (225) 389-3824.

Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward for anyone with information that leads to the arrest of those responsible. Call Crime Stoppers anonymously at (225) 344- STOP or (225) 344-7867.


A Dallas police officer is pictured by the scene of Thursday evening's shooting which left five officers dead

Three suspects, including a 13-year-old, arrested for stealing guns from a pawn shop as part of plot to harm police officers in Baton Rouge - while a fourth remains at large

and more you will kiss their a..s and more they will k..l you that's for Hillary Clinton and socialist europeans

Baton Rouge boy, 12, arrested amid investigation into alleged plot to kill police


From left, Baton Rouge Police Department spokesman Lt. Johnny Dunnam, Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie, East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux. Louisiana State Police Col. Mike Edmonson and Joe Belisle, from the Baton Rouge office of the Bureau ... more >

By Andrew Blake - The Washington Times - Saturday, July 16, 2016

A 12-year-old boy was arrested Friday in Baton Rouge on suspicion of plotting to kill police officers with stolen handguns, authorities said.

The preteen is the fifth person to be charged in connection with an alleged conspiracy that came to light less than a week earlier when the Cash America pawnshop in Baton Rouge was robbed of eight handguns during an overnight heist early last Saturday.

Police said previously that one of the suspects, 17-year-old Antonio Thomas, was caught at the scene and told investigators that he and three others had stolen the guns and “were going to get bullets to shoot police.”

Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie said law enforcement took the teen’s claims about shooting cops as a “very viable threat,” and worked with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to launch an investigation that culminated with the arrest of the 12-year-old on Friday, the Times Picayune reported.

The child was booked into the Juvenile Detention Center on counts of simple burglary and theft of a firearm, a local CBS affiliate reported. His name has not been disclosed on account of being underage.
All four robbery suspects have now been identified by police and apprehended, as well as a fifth man accused of buying two of the stolen guns.

Malik Bridgewater, 20, an unidentified 13-year-old and Mr. Thomas have all been charged with simple burglary and theft of a firearm, WAFB-TV reported. The two adults remained in jail on $10,000 bond as of Friday, according to the network. Trashone Coats, 23, was charged with illegal possession of a stolen firearm and was released from custody Tuesday.

Police don’t believe any ammunition was stolen from Cash America, but took Mr. Thomas’s claims about plotting to shoot police seriously in the wake of the ambush in Dallas last week that resulted in the deaths of five officers.

“This was substantial, credible information that we received that was going to cause harm to police officers in the Baton Rouge are,” State Police Colonel Mike Edmonson said at a Tuesday press conference.

“Look what happened in Dallas. A very peaceful protest and some crazy mad man did what he did. So, I think the threat speaks for itself. We can’t take anything for granted anymore,” added East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux.

The gunman responsible for the Dallas ambush, Micah Xavier Johnson, reportedly told police that his killing spree was prompted in part by two fatal officer-involved shootings earlier last week, including an incident that ended in the death of Baton Rouge resident Alton Sterling.

Six of the eight firearms stolen from the Baton Rogue pawn shop were recovered as of Friday, WAFB-TV reported.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...stigation-all/

Baton Rouge police respond to report of officers down