33 year-old Oscar Aguilar, a security guard for the Roman Catholic Diocese, was acquitted of firearms offences today in the Magistrate's Court.
According to police, just before 5 a.m. on August 14, 2010, they were on patrol, and when they passed the Roman Catholic Church on North Front Street. They saw Aguilar and another man standing on the street side, and Aguilar had an object resembling a firearm, which he was waving.
The officers stopped the vehicle, discovered that it was a.22 pistol, and they also found 3 live rounds of ammunition in his back pocket.
They charged him with keeping an unlicensed firearm, and keeping unlicensed ammunition.
The trial started a few months ago, and in his defense, Aguilar testified that he was on duty, and was talking to his friend, Carmelo Choc. Choc reportedly told Aguilar that he heard something fall when a vehicle passed by. Choc went to see what it was, and he retrieved the firearm, and passed it to Aguilar.
Aguilar said that he took out the bullets, put it in his pocket, and had intentions to hand it over to the police, but he saw the mobile. He waved his hand with the firearm at the vehicle only to get their attention, but the police refused to believe his story.
Choc testified and corroborated Aguilar's testimony for the defense.
There was a major point of contention in the trial because Aguilar's attorney, Dickie Bradley, questioned the identification of the weapon which Aguilar allegedly had, with the description given by forensic analyst who also testified for the prosecution.
Based on Bradley's submissions, Magistrate Ordonez, after considering all the evidence, acquitted Aguilar of the charges and he was able to leave court a free man.
The police prosecutor gave the court a verbal notice that they intend to appeal this decision.
