Basketball Brawl
RIVERSIDE (CNS) – Jury selection got underway Tuesday for the trial of a convicted felon accused of punching female athletes during an altercation at a Corona Centennial High School basketball game and later threatening other students with a gun.
Thaddis Lamont Brooks, 40, of Perris was arrested a year ago following a Corona Police Department investigation.
Brooks is charged with four counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, three counts of battery, two counts each of making criminal threats and brandishing a gun, and one count each of possession of a firearm on school grounds, witness intimidation and being a felon in possession of a gun.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Sam Shoukah summoned multiple panels of prospective jurors to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Tuesday for screening as to their availability and qualifications.
Opening statements were expected Thursday.
Brooks is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
According to Corona police Sgt. Jason Waldon, on the evening of Jan. 24, 2023, the defendant attended a game at Centennial High School, where the Huskies were taking on the Santiago High School Sharks.
Waldon said a fight erupted between two players, prompting Brooks to jump out of his seat and enter the fray. He “punched several female athletes before being restrained,” the sergeant said.
No one was seriously hurt.
Waldon alleged that Brooks then headed out of the gymnasium, stating he intended to get a gun.
“The suspect walked to the parking lot and retrieved a handgun from his vehicle,” Waldon said. “While in the parking lot, the suspect pointed the handgun at several students and threatened to shoot them. The suspect fled the area just before officers arrived at the school.”
Detectives contacted witnesses and obtained additional evidence pointing to Brooks as the alleged assailant, according to Waldon.
He said a search warrant was obtained and served at the defendant’s residence on Chamberlain Creek Way, where officers took him into custody without incident a week later.
According to court records, Brooks has several convictions in another jurisdiction for which he served time in state prison, though the offenses weren’t listed.
For More Law and Disorder News Visit www.zapinin.com/law-and-disorder.
