Baton Rouge man arrested on car theft, gun charges
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — An investigation by the Baton Rouge Police Department into alleged criminal activities led to the arrest of a Baton Rouge man on theft and gun charges.
Anthony Thomas Jr., 22, was charged with theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a machine gun.
The investigation started in May of this year with Thomas as the focus. BRPD said Thomas was identified as a 'Youngin's Taking Over' member, which is tied to the 'Bleeda' gang.
As the investigation unfolded, BRPD found that Thomas had a vehicle that was reported stolen. Police saw him with a Glock handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device during surveillance.
The Baton Rouge man was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Thursday, June 12. Police said he was found with a handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device at the time of his arrest.
Thomas has previously been arrested and charged with obstruction of justice, illegal carrying of a weapon, domestic abuse battery, distribution of Schedule I and possession of Schedule V.
The Baton Rouge man was caught with the help of the United States Marshals Service Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Task Force.
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**Related Video Above: Dog survives one of the 'most graphic' animal abuse cases Friendship APL has seen CLEVELAND (WJW) — The dog arrived with gruesome stab wounds to the face and neck with blood matted into her fur. Pieces of Ivy's ear were missing. The team at Northview Animal Clinic in North Ridgeville got to work saving her life. 'Brutal. It was one of the most brutal cases of animal abuse I've seen,' said Greg Willey, executive director of Elyria's Friendship Animal Protective League, whose humane team was called in to help with Ivy. According to a police report, Terry Thomas of Sandusky brought his 8-month-old pit bull puppy to the clinic to get checked out on May 17, reportedly later telling authorities the dog had been punished for relieving herself on the floor. Dog dies after Medina shooting; group seeks answers Perkins Township police arrested Thomas two days later, and he was charged with felony animal cruelty under Goddard's Law. 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Police officers in Mansfield rescued a puppy named Ezekiel — reportedly left behind by evicted owners — that was discovered so near death he was unable to stand or lift his head. In Bedford Heights, a man was indicted after he was reportedly caught on camera throwing and dragging his dog in a stairwell. While Willey with Friendship Animal Protective League said they're taking in more humane cases, Sharon Harvey, President and CEO of the Cleveland Animal Protective League, explained she is not seeing more per se. Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman's beloved dog also shot during attack, euthanized 'What we know is there's a lot of it right now, and humane societies certainly are seeing these cases, they are being taken extremely seriously and people are becoming more outraged, which is good,' Harvey said. Harvey said data kept by the Cleveland APL does not reflect an uptick in humane cases. She explained there is certainly a 'feeling' that cases appear to be going up, but that could be attributed to multiple factors. First, she said the public in general seems to be paying attention to animal cruelty cases and speaking out against them. Second, the media continues to report on some of the worst of the worst cases of neglect and abuse, especially when individuals are charged, bringing more awareness. 'I think we've seen some societal shifts,' Harvey said. 'Largely, what we're seeing is a massive awakening. These crimes matter. These lives matter. And many are aware.' There is no statewide database of animal cruelty cases, and a nationwide database was only added to the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System in 2014; it started tracking in 2016. However, the FBI's Crime Data Explorer found only 70% of jurisdictions reported their data by 2022, leading to major gaps in official totals. 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