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Police: Convicted Baltimore drug dealer admits firing at Anne Arundel cops
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An Anne Arundel County Traffic Safety officer surveys the crime scene of Audrey Avenue Tuesday in the Brooklyn neighborhood bordering Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County
Anne Arundel County (Map, News) - A convicted South Baltimore drug dealer was formally charged with attempted murder late Tuesday after he allegedly shot an Anne Arundel officer.
Matthew Gonzalez, 22, of Victor Street in Brooklyn, faces up to life in prison on charges he shot Police Officer Lee Joines early Tuesday morning in the same city neighborhood.
Joines was summoned to the 400 block of Audrey Avenue — which is in Anne Arundel County, bordering the city — to investigate suspicious people in a vehicle, according to charging documents.
The caller told police she saw two males exit a black SUV parked on the block after apparently searching through the vehicle.
Joines and another uniformed officer began to interview a group of males sitting on the curb on Audrey Avenue, when Gonzalez got up and ran, charging documents state.
Joines then shot Gonzalez with a Taser gun, causing the suspect to fall to the ground, and a black handgun to fall out of his pocket, police said.
Gonzalez grabbed the handgun and fired at Joines — with a bullet striking the officer’s gun, the documents state.
Joines fired one shot at the suspect, but did not strike him, according to police. Then the officer’s gun jammed because of the bullet, as Gonzalez continued to run and fire several shots at police, officers said.
One of the shots struck Joines in his abdomen area but his body armor apparently saved his life, the documents state.
Gonzalez ran through a yard into an alley, where he encountered two other officers, who arrested him, police said.
In a statement to Baltimore homicide detectives, Gonzalez admitted his involvement in the shooting, charging documents state.
Joines was treated at University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
Gonzalez had been convicted of attempted drug distribution and drug possession in 2006 in South Baltimore and sentenced to six months in jail.
He also had been convicted of marijuana possession in 2005 in South Baltimore, and possession of marijuana and a deadly weapon in Bel Air in 2005.
lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com
jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com
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7:13 PM MST on Wed., Sep. 10, 2008 re: "Police: Convicted Baltimore drug dealer admits firing at Anne Arundel cops"
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Cindy said:
Matthew Gonzalez is my brother. I love him dearly and am very upset by his choices. I am not going to say that Matt had a hard life and please show him sympathy because of it. Matthew is a grown man and made his choice. He now has to deal with that. I do however,wish that Matthew had thought about his family. His mother,our sister,our brother and his daughter. I truely wish that he had taken another path. My heart aches for Matthew. He is not a thug. He is not a criminal. What he did was wrong and stupid and he will pay for it. But,Matthew is a very loving individual that made the wrong choice.
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Examiner Reader said:
Soon enough he will be arainged and put in jail for a very long time. Hopefully Bubba will keep him company in the slammer
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Voice of Reason said:
It really is a shame that the CRIMINAL didn't catch a few bullets in the whole fracas. It would have saved the taxpayers a lot of money and the community would have been much safer for it. One less gun toting, drug dealing thug on the streets. Great job by the police, but get to the range and practice a little more!
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Examiner Reader said:
Everytime somebody gets jammed up in the street life--the family wants to tell everybody that he was hanging with the wrong crowd! Guess what some of there family members are the wrong crowd! Stop making excuses because people are sick and tired of them! He should even be carrying a gun--So what the hell does that have to do with growing up without a father?
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JAS said:
Another thing.. every day there is voilence in the world. You always hear about innocent ppl getting murdered. That is true. But also there is cops who shoot INNOCENT people and KILL them. But no one really has anything to say about that now do they.. Im not saying Matt is innocent or what not. I know for the past several years, he got caught up in the wrong crowd and his mother was struggling to try to get them all outve brooklyn. I live in the county, i wouldnt grow up there or raise my ( future ) childern there...The cops do not really do nothing except give innocent people a hard time and spend other times not actually noticing anyother crimes happening all around them. It's really sad.. Im not saying let him go, but think about it. He's my family and he's 22 yrs old and his entire life is over now, completely. Isn't it really sad what the world has come 2. He has a baby daughter that will never really know her father.
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Examiner Reader said:
Excuse me, This is my cousin and yes he has done alot of things wrong. But he has also dealt with a father who didnt want nothing to do with him, city schools who could give a crap less to what happens...I never thought things would go this far with him. But please, do watch what you say. It's bad enough my his brother and sister can read about him all over the web and so can my aunt. But try to find it in your hearts to be some what kind. Just remember this could've been someone in your family.
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Examiner Reader said:
ADN, he is charged with attp murder which carries up to life in prison. I'm not aware of any charge of "shooting an officer" and anyway it couldn't carry more than life. Wise up, buddy.
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Examiner Reader said:
Good that we have the police to taint the potential jury.
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Examiner Reader said:
Well you all know that this idiot was on the football team an honor student, alter boy and was an up and coming pharmisist (NOT)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sure Cheat-um will start a fund for him and his family, and have a march for this outstanding citizen. How come people arn't mad that this Officer doing his job was shot by a thug? I guess people care more for the criminal than the people that try to do help them, that is why Maryland is going to hell realy fast. I just want to say thanks brother for doing your job, and keep up the great work. God Speed and stay safe.
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ADN said:
WHY is he not charged with shooting an officer?
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Examiner Reader said:
Wow - a convicted drug dealer, just 22 years old, is somehow out on the streets. Shocking right? I'm sure the stern City prosecutors did all they could to keep this guy locked up, right? Sure. I know- let's give this guy another chance to straighten up - what's attempted murder, after all?
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