It was a warm Friday night in April, and senior Sean Michael Combs was enthusiastic about the rifle he received a month earlier as a gift for his 18th birthday, so he decided to carry it with him when he headed to downtown Birmingham with a friend.
Combs' choice to carry the M1 Garand slung over his shoulder resulted in his an experience his close friend Lia Grabowski calls "terrifying."
Grabowski spoke up on Combs' behalf Monday, saying her friend "was in his legal right" when he was arrested.
Grabowski, 17, also a senior at Troy High, said she was with Combs at the time of his arrest Friday and witnessed Combs' exchange with police.
“We were just walking down to Birmingham," Grabowski said. "We weren’t doing anything. There were groups of kids walking around.
"He’s a huge supporter of open carry and the right to bear arms, and he thought he could legally carry. He wasn’t going to use it on anyone. Obviously, he could have defended himself, but he wasn’t looking for a fight.”
Grabowski said she and Combs were approached by a few teenagers who asked if his rifle was real, though "nobody was afraid, and everyone was kind of curious."
Then, the pair was stopped by a police officer, who asked to see Combs' driver's license, Grabowski said. Combs declined, and moments later, two more officers arrived and arrested Combs as he reached to produce his identification, according to Grabowski.
"He was in his legal right," Grabowski said. "He refused to give him his ID, but not rudely."
Grabowski said she does not agree with the actions of the Birmingham Police officers, adding that the experience was "terrifying."
Combs is a four-year member of the , serving as one of its captains this past season. He was also on the track team for three years and ran indoor track for two years.
"I can kind of understand the fact that he’s an 18-year-old, and he doesn’t really look 18, but he was completely within his legal right and they did not have a right to arrest him. ... They had what they asked for, and they arrested him anyway."
"We understand long gun open carry to be lawful" in the state of Michigan, said Phillip Hofmeister, president of Michigan Open Carry, Inc., though he added that the group does not advocate open carry of long guns. Also, according to the group's website, "under no legal obligation are you required to talk to a police officer or produce identification of any kind if you are not being detained."
Combs declined to comment Monday without his attorney present. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 2 on charges of disturbing the peace, brandishing a weapon and obstructing an investigation.
Birmingham Police could not be reached for comment Monday evening.
We are the Citizens, the People who make the laws and employ police to enforce the laws, not act at whim. Police do NOT get to make things up as they go along.
You can't prevent that kind of crime. You can, however, remove liberties and try to give the ILLUSION of safety and violate people's rights and take away freedom. It is clear which side you are on. Keep burying your head in the sand and pretend you are always safe and mommy govt. will keep you safe. Meanwhile, we will be responsible for ourselves and our own protection. kthx.
Oh, and the whackjob thing. In order to purchase a gun, you have to udergo a federal background check, and um, the feds dont let whackjobs buy guns. Dipshit.
Content included a January photo of his new M1 Garand lying across two kitchen chairs, captioned "new member of the family," and a YouTube video of someone else demonstrating that model's firing power.
I'm much to polite to ask how you became an expert in this field.
You might be aware, that you are discriminating based on the type of firearm and age of the person who was carrying it. In an age that we are supposed to be against discrimination, it's something to think about. Also, bolt actions, 1911's, USAF .38's, etc, are all "military weapons" and are carried everyday in the woods and on the streets, you just don't see them. Know that they are there, relax, you'll probably see them more and more. Remember, an armed society is a polite society. It's nothing to argue, it's just science.
I think everyone understands why Detroit takes jabs and is used as a negative example, the city is full of corruption, ignorance, violence and entitlement attitude.
Don't know your age, but you are obviously being condesending to James by calling him "kid" and in the tone of your message. I wish more young people were as articulate and able to put together a well put statement as he did. Here's the reality, judge the situation by the actions. It's called situational awareness. Read Sean's body language. Did he seem to be carrying himself in a tense manner? Did he seem to be aggrivated? Etc. Etc. These are things professionals and concerned citizens get training in. Those are things that give you the ability to judge a situation, see if an attack is about to happen, etc. Body language tells everything. Most people don't know how to read body language so they resort to reading circumstancial items that can and are misleading in a situation. Once you learn to read body language and or go after certified training, you end up seeing much more about a situation. Things that alarmed you before, might not alarm you anymore and vice versa.
"Sec. 74-156. - Breach of peace.permanent link to this piece of content. Any person who shall make or assist in making any noise, disturbance, trouble or improper diversion, or any rout or riot, by which the peace and good order of the city are disturbed, shall be guilty of a breach of the peace, and disorderly conduct." (Code 1963, § 9.102(27)) "Disturbance, trouble or improper diversion" and "good order" are pretty vague, and it does appear that other young people gathered around the 18 year old with the firearm, and at least one, Grabowski, was identified as being a minor. If a fair number of those gathering around were minors, the Police's case that this was an "improper diversion" would likely be strengthened. If the 18 year old allowed one of the minors to hold the weapon, there would be a plain violation of firearms possession rules, and the Police could argue that they need not wait for that to happen in an environment where minors were present and clearly interested in the weapon, but could intervene to prevent it from happening. So, I wouldn't be so confident these charges will be dropped.
"Sec. 74-211. - Brandishing. (a) No person shall, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, knowingly brandish a firearm in public." Brandishing is undefined at Michigan law. Was he showing the weapon to minors? Carrying it in a threatening manner? Don't know about the obstructing violation. It is also possible that there was a violation of the prohibition on causing alarm, which is defined as: "Sec. 74-164. - Causing alarm.. (a) No person shall loiter or prowl in a place, at a time or in a manner under circumstances that warrant a justifiable and reasonable alarm or immediate concern for the safety of persons or property in the vicinity. (b) Among such circumstances which may be considered in determining whether such alarm or immediate concern is warranted is the fact that the person takes flight upon appearance of a law enforcement officer, refuses to identify himself, or manifestly endeavors to conceal himself or any object. Note refusal to identify may be considered by the Police. For above, see http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=10445
Your parent did NOT teach you "how to be a RESPONSIBLE gun owner", it appears that he taught you to be a flaming hypocrite and judgemental authoritarian. Good luck with that.
1:55 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012 Nice try -- LOL! Not sure I understand this. You said "99% of the time these cases end up being dropped", I said "I wouldn't be so confident these charges will be dropped." The charges were not dropped; four counts went to trial and two made it to the jury, which found Combs not guilty. Evidently, the jury did not find, as a matter of fact, that he had disturbed the peace or brandished the weapon. Another jury might have found differently. Nice try on your part to reframe the issue, though.