Felon Charged with Threatening Students with Gun During Corona Athletic Event

City News Service Pristine Villarreal

RIVERSIDE (CNS) – A felon accused of punching female athletes during an altercation at a Corona high school basketball game and later threatening the lives of other students with a gun was charged Monday with multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses.

Thaddis Lamont Brooks, 39, of Perris, was arrested last week following a Corona Police Department investigation.

Brooks was charged with six counts of making criminal threats of death or great bodily injury, four counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, three counts of battery, two counts of 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, with sentence-enhancing allegations of using a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $350,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, was slated to make his initial court appearance Monday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

According to Corona police Sgt. Jason Waldon, on the evening of Jan. 24, Brooks 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.

He alleged that Brooks then headed out of the gymnasium, stating that 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 followed up with 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 and discovered more than 40 dogs on his property, showing signs of alleged mistreatment.

“The city of Perris Animal Control Services responded to the residence to investigate the animals’ welfare and determined there were animal cruelty factors present due to the conditions of the residence,” Waldon said.

No firearm was located at the property, he said.

Animal control officers impounded the canines.

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.

Copyright 2023, City News Service, Inc.

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