 |
Office of the District Attorney P. David Soares El-Rajab A. Ravenna Faces 8 on Gun Charge ALBANY , NY – District Attorney Soares announced that EL-RAJAB A. RAVENNA, 20, of 168 Morton Avenue , Albany , NY , faces 8 years in State prison and three years of Post Release Supervision after pleading guilty to one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2 nd Degree. RAVENA was arrested on August 22, 2005 opposite 79 Central Avenue – the parking lot of Water Works Pub by Albany Police Officer John Crossman. Crossman, a bicycle Patrolman known as “X-man” on the street, noticed a commotion, sped towards it, and came upon the scene immediately after RAVENA had fired his weapon at a departing vehicle. As soon as Crossman arrived on the scene, the shooter RAVENA dropped his weapon saying words to the effect of “It’s ok X-man, you got me.” Members of RAVENA’s family were upset with the sentence. They pointed out that RAVENA himself had been a victim of a shooting three years ago having been shot 8 times and that the defendant in that case only received an 8 year term while RAVENA is getting the same 8 years even though he didn’t even hit anyone with his shots. “The reality”, said DA Soares, “is that we’re seeking significantly longer sentences for gun related crimes and this sentence reflects this new approach. But the real story here is the courage of Officer Crossman who single-handedly stopped a crime in process by putting himself in harm’s way. As a result of his quick action and courage he very possibly prevented a much more serious and possibly fatal outcome,” Soares added. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16, 2005 before the Honorable Thomas A. Breslin Back to Press Releases For further information contact: Richard Arthur
|
|
