MTSU Students Charged for Pellet Gun Attack at Riverdale Soccer Game
Flash back to last Thursday, when a crowd of spectators attending a girls’ high school soccer match experienced a brief moment of fright as two MTSU students arrived on the scene with pellet guns blazing. No one was hurt, but the school resource officer noticed the shots and identified the would-be assailants. There was a vehicular pursuit, which inevitably ended in the officer’s favor, after which the students were placed under custody.
A Pellet Gun Shoot-Out? What?
Yes, a pellet gun shoot-out. Or rather, an attempted pellet gun shoot-out. I guess it’s more of an assault since the potential victims seemed to have been unarmed, but the weapon was identified by the arresting officer, James Coots, who found a pellet gun in the floorboard of the criminal students’ vehicle once the car chase concluded. Before pursuing the students, Mohamad Nasoah Al-Dahan and Khaled Mahfouz, he noticed a gun protruding from their car window after hearing the sound of fired shots. And the only gun in their car was that pellet gun.
The two students are looking at felony charges for reckless endangerment with a weapon. Their bail bond is priced at 25 grand. Considering the situation, the type of weapon and the lack of any injuries – you might be wondering why the penalties are so severe. If this is a question you’re asking, then you should probably do a little research on the qualifications for aggravated assault in Tennessee.
Qualifications for Aggravated Assault in Tennessee
Even if the gun is fake, using it to commit an act of violence is definitely still considering aggravated assault by Tennessee state law. Pellet gun, BB gun, water gun, if it’s a gun at all, then that’s not going to fly with legal authorities. Why? Because it’s still an act that offers the threat of violence.
Aggravated assaults aren’t just defined by the injuries resulting from the crime in question. Imagine if a guy shot at you with a gun and missed. That guy still shot at you, and I’m sure you’re not going to be too thrilled about that, and I’m equally certain that you’ll be looking to press charges so that it doesn’t happen again. Those people at the soccer game didn’t know it was a pellet gun. They just saw a gun, which qualifies as the display of a deadly weapon. And besides, pellet guns don’t fire bullets made out of pillows. They can still hurt a person. Although strange in nature, the charges for this crime, in the abstract, appear to be quite legitimate.
Hire Nashville Criminal Attorneys
Robert J. Turner and associates have years of experience working with clients in a wide variety of criminal cases. Whether you’re the victim of aggravated assault, the loved one of a victim, or wrongfully accused of committing such a crime, we know the most efficient routes towards pursuing a satisfactory resolution. It’s crucial that you seek legal representation before evidence becomes stale, so don’t wait! Call today, or go online to set up your Free Initial Consultation, and meet with a skilled lawyer who’s ready and waiting to get you on track toward the justice you deserve.
