3 Groid Footballers Jailed In Robbery Attempt

Rick Dean

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SunSentinel.com, Jul. 6

3 FIU Players Jailed In Robbery Attempt




MIAMI ? Three Florida International football players were arrested, including one who was charged with attempted murder for firing a gun into an occupied car, campus police said Monday. All three were suspended from the team.

Everett Baker, Randy Arnold and Diamos Demerritt were denied bond Monday in their first court appearance and locked up in a Miami-Dade County jail. Their next hearing was set for July 26.

All three were charged with six
felony counts for their alleged roles in an on-campus robbery attempt, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records. Their cases were assigned to the public defender's office.

The incid

ent occurred shortly before midnight Saturday as two FIU students w
ere sitting in a car outside the university's student apartments, said Maydel Santana-Bravo, a spokeswoman for the university.

Five men approached the car on foot and one, identified by police as Baker, began firing a gun into the car, Santana-Bravo said. Two of the five allegedly were Arnold and Demerritt.

The two individuals in the car took off unharmed, Santana-Bravo said.

She said no other details were immediately available. Campus police are expected to file an official report today.

Two other men in the group are still at large.

Baker, 20, of Kissimmee, faces the most serious charge: felony attempted murder for firing into an occupied car. He was also charged with two counts of armed robbery, posses
sion of a weapon on school grounds and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, all felonies.

Arnold, 20, of Tallahassee, faces two counts each of armed robbery, aggravated assa
ult
with a deadly weapon and possession of a weapon on school grounds.

Demerritt
, 21, of Miami, is charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon on school grounds and carrying a concealed weapon.

This is being taken very, very seriously by everyone, Santana-Bravo said. Obviously, everyone is upset by it. The moment these three men were arrested they were also suspended from the football team. . . . Now they'll be suspended until their legal situation is cleared up. They will be off the team for the foreseeable future.

Baker started seven games at cornerback for the Golden Panthers last season and was expected to return to that role this season.

Demerritt started two games at running back but was limited to eigh
t games because of injuries.

Arnold was a reserve cornerback who played in all 12 games, starting one.

Obviously these allegations are very serious and we're extremely disappoi
nted,
FIU Athletic Director Rick Mello said Monday. Right now, we are doing every
thing we can to find out as many facts as we possibly can. Understand that we treat these matters very seriously and we will take appropriate action in accordance with university policy.

Arnold had an arrest record before getting his scholarship, according to state police files.

In March 2001, Leon County sheriff's deputies arrested Arnold as a juvenile on three felony counts: exhibition of a destructive device on school property, carrying a concealed firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, according to FDLE records. The records did not indicate the final disposition of the charges.

Staff Writers Megan O'Matz, Cindy Kent and special correspondent Daniel Izquierdo contributed to this
report.
 
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FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

Marijuana deal cited as factor in FIU gunfire

Saturday's shootings involving three FIU football players were caused by a foiled drug deal involving a half ounce of marijuana, according to the arrest report released by Florida International University's police department on Tuesday.

Three of the five alleged assailants were arrested; the other two escaped, and the FIU police have no information on them.

The two guns involved in the attack were taken from Derrick DeMer
itt's car when FIU police arrested him Saturday morning, along with Baker, 20, and Randy Arnold, 20, authorities said.

DeMerritt said in the report that Arnold had put one of the guns inside his
r
car's trunk earlier that evening.

Baker, who is reported to have fir
ed the gun into the victims' car, has been charged with attempted felony murder. All three face two counts of armed robbery and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, among other weapons charges.
 
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