arrested - Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo

Student Detained by TSA over Arabic Flashcards

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:18:00 GMT

Nicholas George, a Pomona College student, was detained at Philadelphia airport for carrying Arabic-English flashcards in his pocket. George was carrying these cards with him as his major is Middle Eastern Studies. George has now filed a federal lawsuit against employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department for his five hour detention in which he was abusively interrogated about the 9/11 terrorist attacks and also asked if he was a member of a “communist group.”

The lawsuit charges that George’s Constitutional rights were violated–his Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable seizure and his First Amendment right to free speech. George was never informed of why he was handcuffed, detained or arrested, and he was never informed of his rights such as a right to remain silent or a right to have an attorney present during questioning. George was finally let go with a ticket to fly home the next day, but was never given any apology or explanation.

Gang Members Attack Graffiti Victim

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:35:00 GMT

Last July two men and a 17 year old were arrested in connection with stabbing and beating a man. Last Friday Nicolas Duran, Alejandro Duran and 17 year old Manola Mauricio pled guilty to one count of aggravated assault(Penal Code Section 245(a)(1), one count of street terrorism (Penal Code Section 186.22) and a sentencing enhancement for criminal street gang activity. Both counts were felonies and Mauricio was prosecuted as an adult according to the Orange County register. The police report revealed that the victim noticed three adults writing graffiti on a wall and told them to stop. Those same three adults and two others on bikes followed the victim and beat him. Mauricio received credit for time served of 200 days and was placed on probation. The D.A. objected to all three defendants’ sentences, believing that either based on their criminal records or the nature of the incident each should do more time.

To learn more about the outcome of this case watch an OC in Two video produced by the Orange County Register.

Orange County Home Invasion Probably Drug Related

Law Offices of William W. Bruzzo — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:34:00 GMT

Three gang members allegedly broke into a home on New Year’s Eve in Tustin, Orange County, California. One of the suspects pistol whipped the resident and ran off with about $200 according to the Orange County Register. A car chase through Tustin and into Santa Ana ended up with the suspects fleeing on foot. The owner of the car was Jose Zendejas, he was arrested in Long Beach. A second suspect Ernesto Garcia was arrested in Santa Ana and both men are being charged with robbery (Penal Code Section 211) and street terrorism (Penal Code Section 186.22). A third suspect Alberto Penaloza is being charged with robbery, possession of a controlled substance for sale (Health and Safety Code Sections 11359, 11378, 11351) and as convicted felon in possession of a stolen firearm (Penal Code Section 12021(a)(1). An amount of methamphetamine was found and evidence of drug sales (Health and Safety Code Section 11378). Examples of evidence the drug is for sale include if the substance is packaged in individual amounts, the amount of the drug, if scales are found with the drug and/or a significant amount of small bills.