The Richland Police Department issued the following statement on Facebook:
On December 29, 2023, a member of the Richland Police Department FLEX Unit initiated a traffic stop on Highway 49 for a traffic violation. As the Officer approached the vehicle, he noticed the driver moving a lot in the drivers seat and then noticed the driver try to hide something behind the seat.
Once the officer made contact with the driver, there was a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle. Also, while speaking with the driver, the 16yr old male juvenile in the passenger seat, had an AR15 pistol, in between his legs, with an extended magazine loaded with approximately 45 rounds. The driver told the officer that he was smoking a marijuana blunt while traveling back to Richland from Jackson, where he had just purchased the marijuana. The officer had both occupants exit the vehicle and while the officer was searching the car, the driver attempted to get back into the car, reaching in the rear floorboard to grab another gun. The officer was able to get the driver out of the car and detain him. The officer then located the other gun, a Glock 19x 9mm with an illegal device installed on the pistol that makes the weapon fully automatic. These devices are also known as a “switch” and they are being used more and more in violent crimes around the metro area. Whenever the officer located the fully automatic pistol, he noticed that the weapon was jammed, as if someone had attempted to shoot it but it malfunctioned. Also in the vehicle, the officer located narcotics and a credit card scanner, used for stealing individuals financial information. The driver, 22 year old, James Willie Stevens, was arrested for multiple charges including: Possession of a controlled substance enhanced with a firearm Possession of credit card reproduction equipment Driving under the influence of drugs And other traffic related offenses. Throughout the investigation, the officer contacted an ATF agent who greatly assisted with the investigation. A search warrant was later executed at a local apartment complex inside the City of Richland. Inside the apartment, officers located another Glock 10mm handgun that had another “switch” installed, which made that weapon fully automatic as well. Officers also located another AR15 pistol with a drum style magazine which holds nearly 100 rounds of ammunition, and more narcotics was located inside the apartment as well. One suspect from the apartment was arrested, who is identified as 19 year old, Jermaine Demontae Mckinzie, and charged with Possession of a controlled substance enhanced with a firearm. There is no state charge for the devices that makes the weapons fully automatic but there is a Federal charge so this case will be turned over to the ATF for prosecution. Federal Firearm Law: Unlawful Possession of a Machine Gun or Devices 18 U.S.C. 922 (o) makes it unlawful to possess or transfer a machinegun. Punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
30 comments:
We need a Metro gang taskforce.
Next time you complain about the police making traffic stops remember these ferals are among you.
This has all of the ingredients for drive-by shootings.
Did ATF shoot any dogs?
Fine looking young men. They will do well in prison.
Alright DOJ !!
Let's give these boys the same federal prison sentence you would inflict on a couple of confederate flag wavers carrying machine guns.
These two Rhodes scholars missed the course that taught basic common sense!
5:50. Thank God they were caught in Rankin County or they would not be going near a prison.
Thank God the gun jammed, he was going to kill the officer. “THEY” have no regard for another human if you get in their way. Only SWAT or the military can stop these animals. The thugs processed stolen credit card numbers and were gun dealers to support their drug habit. I bet they were driving a Dodge Charger with black personalized plates. They might even have some unsolved murders in their past.
It’s not uncommon today to be driving down 55 or I-20 and smell the odor of weed coming from another car. I will be happy when I no longer have to commute into Jackson and that will be very soon. “THEY” have destroyed Jackson and working on ghettofying the suburbs. But someone will come on here and defend them.
Damn!! Go RPD!
Following the report, there is no mention of what the officer did when he saw the gun between the legs of the passenger.
Would 'drop that gun out of the window, now' have been inappropriate?
This could have turned deadly real quick-like.
It appears these young men were engaged in a well diversified portfolio of criminal activities.
How do these thugs get the money to buy all of these expensive assault weapons?
I would love to have some of these weapons for home defense, however, I can't afford them.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Here’s the crazy part. These switches are 100% illegal. They are NFA compliant. They are all made in China and smuggled in illegally. No law abiding citizen can get them. That means only criminals have them. Therefore, police and law abiding citizens are outgunned because of the NFA. Criminals don’t care. You can hear machine gun fire all over Jackson.
@9:59 I hope you’re just boozed up on your NYE whatever. A Glock switch is in fact NOT legal and has clearly been made so by our lovely ATF. The NFA in which you refer to, I can assure these hoodlums are not paying their respective $200 tax stamp fee, much less being approved. Now for me, I have a handful of NFA accessories that I enjoy daily and they are definitely a compliment to the user. Especially the ones that supress the noise.
First suspect's logo gear may be causing some localized heartburn.
Pretty sure he won't be getting his time in for his journeyman's license in the near future, his next two to five years experience will probably be at a club fed instead.
Yellow makes me sad
@8:47 PM - Many, if not most, are stolen from vehicles where very irresponsible owners leave unsecured firearms. Many owners don't report them stolen.
For $13 you can purchase a small gun lock box at Academy Sports.
Both have been released from custody.
5:30 gets it.
And these smaller agencies need to use some forfeiture $ on body cams.
Thank God the officer was not harmed.
Believe it or not but the criminal in the yellow shirt is someone I have recognized on a jobsite and….he is known for having “sticky fingers”. He walks around doing absolutely nothing positive for his employer and scopes out trucks to break into and “lift” tools on the jobsite while others are actually working.
Andy Gipson should come to their rescue for getting their Second Amendment rights violated by government
Future rocket surgeons.
9:56PM wrote: "@9:59 I hope you're just boozed up...I have a handful of NFA...I enjoy daily..."
Someone so quick on the trigger to post a dressing-down that they can't even read/write the time correctly might shouldn't be allowed to own ANY guns or silencers. A complete read of 9:29's (not 9:59) comment would indicate that a typo was likely made by leaving out the word "not" before "NFA compliant," but even if they misunderstand the NFA, they did state plainly that the Glock switches under discussion are "100% illegal" - to import, possess, and certainly install into a pistol. You cannot register them nor pay the $200 tax and legally own or possess them.
As to Glocks with switches being stolen from careless owners with unsecured vehicles, the original possessor couldn't legally possess it, either, so it would be one criminal idiot stealing from another.
But the real-world issue with these things is not whether "citizens" can or cannot, or should or should not, legally own them under the NFA or otherwise, it is that no one without extensive training with fully automatic pistols ("machine pistols") should be allowed to even fire one, much less own one. Muzzle control is very difficult - essentially impossible - for untrained and inexperienced operators. Various militaries, paramilitary agencies, and police around the world have tested numerous designs of these for 75 or so years. Because of the control issues inherent in all designs even they consider them unsafe for all uses and personnel except for very limited applications by highly trained personnel. And even then, they are fitted with folding stocks (ala HK PDW/MP5k, Uzi Micro, and the movie-popular 1980s version of the switched Glock, the Ingram "MAC") and considered either weapons of last resort or for extremely limited use in very specific circumstances. Even the factory Glock version, the Glock 18 (which is readily detectable by anything that would detect any other firearm), is factory recommended for use in only very specialized circumstances by highly trained operators. So why the gun information?
The consequences for idiots like the ones arrested here, as well as for those caught supplying these switches, ought to be as severe as the risk these things pose to the general public. One of these untrained morons firing a full-auto Glock "on the street" is extremely dangerous no matter what their intent or intended target, and no matter the legal status of the gun or switch. One of the few fatal accidents with legal Class III "machine guns" occurred when a 9-year-old was unable to control a Mini Uzi, which is larger than the Micro Uzi pistol, and killed the instructor (that her father or the instructor killed thought it was a good idea for her to try is another topic). No matter your thoughts on guns, gun control, the NFA, BATFE, etc., everyone - including those of us who strongly support gun owners' rights - ought to hope the feds start making very public, well-publicized examples of those that possess or supply these things. Possession of a firearm with one installed while in a vehicle ought to be a hefty enhancement with a serious mandatory sentence.
The officer handled this situation by himself? He's the Mississippi Officer of the Year!
In my opinion, 1:43 has given the most logical educated and informed summary of what we need to know. Is there a way we can determine how by observing a weapon can determine if one is illegally operated with a switch? What do we need to be looking for? If the arresting officer knew this then we as the general public needs to know.
4:33 - The Glock switch may not be visible on the outside of the gun (I don't know), but that's certainly a charge that can come later when the weapon is subjected to closer inspection.
1:43, responding to, "Is there a way we can determine how by observing a weapon can determine if one is illegally operated with a switch? What do we need to be looking for?"
Other than, ahem, the ones in the picture above or what you could easily find on the 'net? If you regularly associate with folks who are likely to be carrying illegally-modified gangbanger weapons, just ask them. I'm sure those who would be stupid enough to have one handy would be stupid enough to readily boast about it. And some advice, find better friends.
If your comment isn't a troll, you should not be trying to perform firearms inspections and a "citizen's arrest" on bangers and other miscellaneous idiots you suspect might be (or you know are) carrying illegally-modified pistols. Even if you could spot likely-modified guns under a hoodie or other garment (and you can't), call a cop and let them handle it.
Law abiding gun owners who are victims of theft are the real problem.
Yes that is right 9:16. Just ask law abiding citizens to spend more time and money to secure weapons in a locked home or locked car.
More locks and laws will certainly do the trick and they are much less messy than what it would take to really fix this issue.
Don’t take this the wrong way. Every single gun slinging criminal taken out of circulation is a win, so props to the RPD. But also know this: this happens very regularly in Richland. For street officers who care to notice, there is a regular procession of criminals, drugs and guns transiting from and to Jackson. Also the “Flex” unit is run by a certain someone whose name has been mentioned in connection with a certain “squad” he used to roam with in Rankin County. RPD recently lost their two best street officers (top two in terms of total arrests and especially felony arrests) to better opportunities, and these two intercepted drugs and guns on the regular in Richland, a fact not always appreciated by the “Flex” jockeys who prefer the less rigorous work of small, local buy/bust collars which they always try to arrange in close proximity to a church or school for enhancement purposes. The majority of the Hwy 49 interdictions were connected to Jackson, although a not insignificant number of interdictions involved federal trafficking operations that originated from northern states and even overseas (ecstasy, weed, heroin). The traffickers are increasingly using less monitored routes like Highway 49 because the federally funded and locally staffed interdiction teams that consistently and obviously sit on interstate highways are well known by traffickers. Also, the now former Mayor of Richland is out due to alleged county corruption, the DOJ is fully involved in Rankin County policing tactics and policies, and it is obvious that RPD is desperate for some positive press attention. Give credit where credit is due, but don’t take your eyes off of what is really happening with RPD and Rankin County. There is more behind this grandiose press release that just a couple of future engineers arrested for weed and guns. Local departments like RPD can’t continue to ignore these newer corridors of trafficking just because it’s easier to squeeze a weed smoker into setting up their dime bag suppliers for a quick and easy buy. And refusing to investigate up the chain to identify the sources of these drugs and guns because you don’t want the “feds” assistance isn’t the answer to this growing problem. But it is a whole lot easier to just shake the occasional tree in your locality and ignore the forest around you.
Post a Comment