Teens from Wallace high school threaten man
by Lori Caldwell lcaldwell@post-trib.com|648-3258 September 17, 2012 4:36PM
Updated: October 19, 2012 6:12AM
GARY — A Glen Park man who assisted police by directing them to a gun dropped during a foot chase called officers back to his house when a group of teens surrounded and threatened him.
As a result, 13 Lew Wallace High School students, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old, were arrested and charged with intimidation, obstructing traffic and rioting.
The oldest teens were charged as adults. Xavier Drew, 18, Ronald Stewart, 18, and Myles Thomas, 18, all of Glen Park, face an additional count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
About 4 p.m. Friday, members of the Crime Suppression Unit were in Glen Park watching for after-school trouble in the Lew Wallace area and told several students to get out of the street.
One student ran but was not apprehended after a brief pursuit in the area of 45th Avenue and Connecticut Street.
A 50-year-old man who lives nearby alerted police, saying he saw the fleeing teen drop a handgun and showed officers where they could find it.
Patrolman Donald Briggs retrieved a revolver and took it to the police station.
About four hours later, police were called to the same area as residents complained about 20 teenagers in the street.
Lt. Samuel Roberts, Sgt. Tim Tatum, Cpl. Damon Bradshaw, Briggs and Patrolmen Michael Mitchell, George Dickerson, Calvin Taylor and John Sheets arrived and saw the group of teens still surrounding the 50-year-old man.
The victim said they approached him as he visited a neighbor and threatened to break into his house and burn it down.
Seven girls who were present were not arrested because they were not in the street or part of the threats, police said.
The teens arrested were: Dontae Bridges, 15; Keontae Bridges, 17; Demonte Daniels, 17; Daequan Greer, 15; Alonzo Kirk, 15; Dentrell Lewis, 16; Gregory Lumpkin, 17; Jermell Moore, 16; Jiovanni Murphy, 16; and McCoy Wellons, 17.
Juvenile Division Sgt. Mark Davis is handling the younger teens’ cases. The adults will be processed through Gary City Court.
