Man arrested on charges of firing shots into the air, hit and run, drug possession

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Levon Terrel Brown, 21, was arrested early this morning after allegedly firing gunshots from his vehicle on NE 8th Avenue, hitting another car, and then leaving the scene of the accident.

At 10:21 p.m. last night, 911 calls were received from two different people, reporting 8-9 shots fired in the area of the 800 block of NE 17th Street and Gardenia Gardens Apartments. At about 10:25 p.m., a report of a hit-and-run at NE 8th Avenue and Waldo Road was received.

The victim of the hit-and-run told officers that she had been stopped at a red light on Waldo Road, and when the light turned green, she started to turn right onto NE 8th Avenue. While she was turning, an SUV ran a red light and crossed the intersection at a high rate of speed, causing the front of her car to hit the rear passenger-side door of the other car. The other car pulled over, then drove away when the victim pulled over behind it.

At 10:42 p.m., the owner of a 2006 Trailblazer called 911 to report that her car had been involved in a crash. The SUV had damage to the rear passenger-side door.

Officers canvassing Gardenia Gardens apartments found that multiple residents had heard the gunshots. One resident said they’d seen the shots being fired from a vehicle driving westbound on NE 8th Avenue. Officers found nine 9mm shell casings along NE 8th Avenue. Surveillance video showed the Trailblazer driving at a high rate of speed on NE 8th Avenue. Officers investigating the report from the owner of the Trailblazer also found a 9mm shell casing in the parking lot where the vehicle was found.

The owner of the Trailblazer told officers that her nephew had been driving the car and had returned with a black bag. She gave officers permission to search her apartment, where Brown was reportedly found hiding in a closet with the bag. The bag reportedly contained Brown’s identification, a 9mm Ruger pistol with an altered serial number, and 1.3 grams of Xanax. Brown also allegedly had 3.2 grams of cannabis in his pocket.

Post Miranda, Brown reportedly told officers that he had found the pistol about two weeks ago and that he shot into the air to test the pistol.

Brown was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription, possession of an altered firearm, firing a weapon in a public place, and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. He is being held on $71,000 bond.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.