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General discussion

Armed Punks - Wrong Place Wrong Time

Jul 21, 2007 12:15AM PDT

A 71-year-old former ?Marine One? helicopter pilot broke up an armed robbery at a Plantation, Fla., Subway restaurant last week, killing one alleged robber and hospitalizing another.

While John Lovell was finishing up his sandwich around 11:15 p.m. last Wednesday, two masked men armed with guns barged into the restaurant, according to a statement from the Plantation police. After taking money from the register, the two men turned to Lovell and demanded his wallet, police said.

As the two tried to force Lovell into the ladies? room where he thought he would be killed, the former Marine reached behind his back to grab his .45-caliber handgun, which he fired seven times at the two men, according to the police statement.

Donicio Arrendell, 22, of North Lauderdale, was fatally shot in the head and chest. Frederick Gadson, 21, of Fort Lauderdale, ran from the store after he was shot in the chest, according to the police statement. A police canine unit found him hiding next to a nearby bank. He was sent to Broward General Hospital and was listed in stable condition.

?It?s tragic and I feel sorry for them,? said Lovell?s attorney and longtime friend Wesley White. Lovell did not return calls to his home Monday afternoon. ?He did it to protect himself and the guy behind the Subway counter.?

Police will not charge Lovell. He owned a concealed weapons permit to carry the gun he used that night, White said.

More: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2007/07/marine_subway_robbery_070702/

Discussion is locked

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Good story but I'm confused
Jul 21, 2007 12:35AM PDT

The rest of the article mentions the fact that the gunmen who survived the encounter will be charged with felony murder.

"Gadson was charged with felony murder and armed robbery. According to Florida law, a person charged with a felony, such as armed robbery, resulting in death can also be charged with murder."

The scum deserves no break but this makes no sense to me. Anyone have an insight on this?

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His behavior directly led to the death of his conspirator
Jul 21, 2007 2:38AM PDT

When one commits a crime, the results can be unexpected. So, the results of the crime are all laid at the feet of the perpetrators.

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I understand the reasoning if an innocent bystander had died
Jul 21, 2007 2:58AM PDT

... but by the same logic (and I'm not arguing with you DR just pondering the convolutions of this) if the other fellow (the dead scum bag) had been shot and killed by a police officer... then the fellow would be up for murder as well. Correct?

To follow this further, why not charge the wounded criminal with attempted suicide as well for being shot by the ex-marine.

Sometimes the logic of the law escapes me.

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Perhaps the survivor
Jul 21, 2007 7:29AM PDT

directly caused the events that led to his conspirators death - initiating the assault on the ex-Marine thereby forcing the ex-Marine to defend himself.

On another note, I doubt anyone will attempt to rob that store again anytime soon. Yay Second Amendment!

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Law
Jul 21, 2007 7:40PM PDT

It's law. It doesn't have to make sense. Does it? Pass a law, that makes it right. Sort of like a divine right. Concept seems to be you create a situation, you take all the rap for it, no matter who did what. If you hadn't created the situation, none of it would have happened. You get blamed for it all. Did the bad guys shoot at all?

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It's quite simple, Grim:
Jul 21, 2007 8:42PM PDT

Florida law resembles the law here in Indiana. Simply put, if you initiate a violent confrontation, you are then legally responsible for all the repercussions of that act, absent the presence of serious wrongdoing on the part of a third party.

Had not the surviving slimeball not set out to rob the Subway, then he'd not be recovering from a gunshot wound, and his partner would still be with us today.

Sounds quite sensible to me, this notion of holding people responsible for the consequences of their actions...

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Also, if they had not tried to force the man into
Jul 21, 2007 10:30PM PDT

the restroom where he feared for his life, the perp wouldn't have died.

It sounds like the man was willing to just let things pan out when it was just a property crime but not when it got personal.

Diana

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Even if the old guy had a grabber
Jul 21, 2007 11:47PM PDT

and died, still would be charged with murder.

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(NT) i love a happy ending
Jul 21, 2007 2:41AM PDT