Duo Arrested For Publicly Carrying Assault Weapons In Inglewood

In a move that may cost the two men several years of their lives in jail, Edmon Adonis Washington, 35, and Brook Thomas Lindsey, 30, allegedly waltzed about Inglewood on August 16 carrying assault rifles. The pair, wearing camouflage and body armor, were later arrested in the San Fernando Valley.

In California, it is not legal to possess an assault weapon unless it was the owner's possession prior to the date it was defined as an assault weapon. The weapons involved in this case ceased to have the capacity for registration in 2006. However, the California Department of Justice may, upon good cause, issue permits for the manufacture, sale, or possession of assault weapons to certain law enforcement agencies and officers and to approved individuals over the age of 18.

DOJ must conduct a yearly inspection – or every five years if the person to be inspected has fewer than five permitted devices – of every person to whom a permit is issued, for security and safe storage practices, and to reconcile the inventory of assault weapons. Generally, no lawfully possessed assault weapon may be sold or transferred to anyone within California other than to a licensed gun dealer or to a police or sheriff's department.

Each defendant in this case faces one felony count of possession of an assault weapon, a Hi-Point semi-automatic assault rifle. Lindsey was charged with an additional felony count of unlawful assault weapon-.50 BMG rifle activity. Lindsey, a resident of Encino, pleaded not guilty. Washington, of Panorama City, will be arraigned on August 19. Recommended bail for Lindsey is $85,000 and that for Washington is $35,000.

A .50 BMG rifle is a centerfile rifle that can fire a .50 BMG cartridge. The bullet diameter is around half an inch and has a length of 5.54 inches.

Wearing or possessing body armor is not a crime unless the person wearing it has been convicted of a felony. Convicted felons may not purchase or own body armor.

If convicted as charged, Washington faces a maximum possible sentence of three years in county jail. Lindsey could fact more than eight years in jail.