Navy official charged for waving gun at young men
"We are aware of the charges. Mr. Ohannessian was placed on administrative leave by the Navy upon notification of the incident (7 July) and remains on leave.BURKE, Va. -- Police in Virginia have charged e a Navy official after he was seen on video waving a gun at three young men in front of his home, reports CBS affiliate WUSA.
A Virginia magistrate Tuesday morning issued three summonses for Karnig Ohannessian, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Environment, for brandishing a firearm.
Ohannessian can be seen in the video, which was recorded June 11, pointing a gun at young men he says are drunk and making noise outside his house in the Washington, D.C. suburbs.
Ohannessian tells the boys to get in their car, to which one of them responds: "You're pointing a gun at my friend. This is a criminal offense, so please stop it."
The men taunt him while one of them records the incident.
"Be thankful you have a gun, man," one of the boys tells Ohannessian as he continues to brandish the weapon. "It shows what kind of a [expletive] you are."
It's unclear if the gun is loaded, but in the footage Ohannessian threatens to use it.
"I can shoot the [expletive] out of you guys right now," he says.
The young men were attending a friend's barbecue and were confronted by Ohannessian after one of the young men parked on the public street in front of his home. The entire incident was caught on cell phone cameras.
The charge is a misdemeanor and Ohannessian could face up to one year in jail for each charge.
Cmdr. Mike Kafka, a spokesman for the Navy, said in an emailed statement to CBS News that Ohannessian remains has been placed on administrative leave.
"We are aware of the charges. Mr. Ohannessian was placed on administrative leave by the Navy upon notification of the incident (7 July) and remains on leave," Kafka said.