First federal arrest (NO: Algiers man allegedly fired on military chopper)

[Barrett808]

First federal arrest
Tuesday, 2 p.m.
By Gwen Filosa
Staff writer

Federal agents arrested a young Algiers man this morning on charges of shooting at a military helicopter designed for rescue missions, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said, announcing the first federal case against the lawlessness that preyed on New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Wendell L. Bailey, 20, was arrested outside the building where he had earlier taken aim with a .22-caliber pistol and fired at the helicopter, which was flying in the darkness, federal prosecutors said. Bailey has been charged with the federal crime of trying to "damage and destroy any aircraft," which carries up to 20 years in prison upon conviction, and with being a felon in possession of a handgun, which carries up to 10 years.

Letten held Bailey's case up as the first federal arrest in the post-Katrina wasteland that is New Orleans, and he promised more would come.

"He will be prosecuted very aggressively, federally," Letten said at the Louisiana Emergency Operations Center in Baton Rouge, flanked by U.S. Attorney David Dugas of Baton Rouge and officials of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.

(more)

http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/

Mods: I don't think there's a permalink for these updates.

[movonne]

1. How do we know that this is true...he might have (if it was him) shot

up in the air to get their attention...

[seriousstan]

4. Doesn't it look like he got their attention?

Maybe he was trying to fend off a low flying alligator.

[Henny Penny]

13. I heard someone on one of the local tv stations saying

a lot of people were firing their weapons in the air to try and get noticed (this was back when they still thought people were going to come and rescue them....)

Of course, he may just have heard it was *'s helicopter...

either way no charge to answer IMHO!

[Career Prole]

2. "He will be prosecuted very aggressively, federally,"

No one doubted that for a second. If there's one thing this damned administration isn't doing half-assed, it's prosecuting (all but themselves).

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Thought the FAA said no reports of any chopper being fired at.

[Igel]

15. Time passes.

Circumstances change.

The FAA did not say that for all time no aircraft in NOLA had, or would ever, be fired on.

Your knowledge base might need updating.

[catnhatnh]

5. Suspicious of this on about nine different levels....

...Lets see the witness that (in the darkness) saw the "criminal", the gun, the aiming point of the gun, and the helicopter filling his aiming point in the darkness....How did the arresting officers identify the perpetrator? In fact in light of media reports of "chaos" after sunset, how did they even transit to the area?
This one smells of a set up....

[Historic NY]

6. Don't shoot at the ATF......

A four-member ATF scout team was patrolling Algiers when members observed gunfire coming from an apartment window. Two young men then walked out of the building and were heard chatting about shooting at a helicopter.

"They won't be back now," one of them said, according to a law enforcement affidavit filed in federal court.

Inside the apartment, ATF agents found a .22-caliber Rhomn revolver and a .32-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver -- both hidden beneath a mattress -– along with a box of 9-mm ammunition.

[knitter4democracy]

12. That sounds fishy to me.

I don't know. It just doesn't ring right.

[catnhatnh]

14. How the hell does that even make sense....

...bragging in front of federal agents who then find two different caliber guns and a third caliber ammo....

[anotherdrew]

7. what kind of evidence could they possibly have? I smell a set-up

[liberaliraqvet26]

8. a .22 cal pistol stopped a US Military operation....

how hard is that to believe

[Sven77]

9. i bet its to sell martial law

fema sat on supplies, didnt let people out. people were trapped for days. fema set-up check points. cut police commmunications, stopped fuel from getting to police. police are kicking the feds out for sabotaging. feds set-up the scenario to sell martial law and government control.

[defiant1]

10. Sheesh....

So he fires a single shot. From a .22.

Let's arrest him.

Not that we have more important things to worry about.

:sarcasm:

[VegasWolf]

11. The evidence against him - the Muslim turban on his head. nt