Street Fight

ATLANTA - Ravens star Ray Lewis took the stand for the first time yesterday, describing a moment when "all hell broke loose" and demonstrating on a manikin some of the blows struck in the course of a vicious street fight that left two men dead. Lewis testified for the prosecution, describing how three of the companions with him early Jan. 31 took part in the brawl and that one of them afterward demonstrated to him how he had held a knife. The testimony, coming a day after Lewis pleaded guilty to misdemeanor obstruction in exchange for having felony charges against him dropped, revived Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard's faltering case against the two other men. But even if it prevents the judge from throwing out the case, it might not win a conviction.

The Ravens made a risky move to bolster their offensive line  Tuesday, signing offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie to a two-year deal. The 6-foot-8, 350-plus-pound lineman was technically a Pro Bowl player for the Vikings in 2009 even though he didn't bother showing up for any of the Pro Bowl practices and was kicked off the NFC squad. The talent is there for McKinnie to be the Ravens' short-term answer at right tackle -- or maybe even left tackle -- but there are a few reasons why the soon-to-be 32-year-old was still on the free agent market.

A Sept. 8 street fight turned into a homicide case after a 39-year-old East Baltimore man died from being hit in the head with a wooden pole, the police said yesterday, and a murder warrant was issued.Farley Chavis, 39, of the 100 block of North Rose Street died Tuesday at Johns Hopkins Hospital of head injuries received in a fight on the block where he lived, the police said. Officers found Mr. Chavis lying face up and bleeding from the head, and he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Documentaries are the most exciting conversation-starters in contemporary American movies — and when they earn Academy Awards, their influence soars into the stratosphere. Winners like "Taxi to the Dark Side" and "The Cove" have shaped international discussions about human and animal rights. No wonder the Maryland Film Festival gala on March 11 will debate the question: "Are documentary filmmakers the new journalists?" Documentaries give the Academy a needed dose of gravitas. But how useful or amusing is it for documentary-makers to get nominated?

A 32-year-old Union Bridge man faces up to 10 years in prison following his conviction on manslaughter and battery charges in the stabbing death of a Finksburg man during a street fight.Donald Allen McCall of Main Street also was charged with first- and second-degree murder in the Feb. 8 stabbing death of Roger Lee Childers, 24, of the 2500 block of Lawndale Road.After deliberating 3 1/2 hours, the Carroll Circuit Court jury onWednesday found McCall not guilty of the murder charges.In finding McCall guilty of manslaughter -- a killing without clear premeditation or malice -- the jury rejected his claim that he stabbed Childers in self-defense.

A 14-year-old boy was shot in the arm yesterday while watching a street fight in West Baltimore, police said.The boy, who heard two gunshots before realizing he had been hit, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he was listed in good condition, police said.About 5 p.m., a group of teen- agers began fighting in the 1400 block of Mosher St., police said.As the fight intensified, someone -- police don't know who -- took out a gun and began shooting.When the shooting stopped, the boy discovered that he had been shot in his left arm, police said.

Documentaries are the most exciting conversation-starters in contemporary American movies — and when they earn Academy Awards, their influence soars into the stratosphere. Winners like "Taxi to the Dark Side" and "The Cove" have shaped international discussions about human and animal rights. No wonder the Maryland Film Festival gala on March 11 will debate the question: "Are documentary filmmakers the new journalists?" Documentaries give the Academy a needed dose of gravitas. But how useful or amusing is it for documentary-makers to get nominated?

1 A 5-year-old girl remained in critical condition Friday after being hit by a stray bullet while walking home with a relative after a shopping trip. The child, who has not been officially identified but whom an aunt said was named Raven, was on a ventilator and in pediatric intensive care at the University of Maryland Medical Center, a hospital representative said. Family members were at her side. She suffered a head wound and was bleeding from the mouth, said a neighbor who attempted to comfort the child after the shooting.

Officer Chad Ellis was expecting to break up a street fight on the night two years ago when he pulled up to the 4100 block of Pall Mall Road and saw two groups of youths gathering in the street.He didn't expect what happened next -- nine people shot in a hail of gunfire, four of them dropping from their wounds around his police cruiser."I saw one victim fall in front of my car; two others fell at the door of the car. They were both shot in the legs. I told them to get behind my car. They fell behind the car and laid there," Ellis told a Baltimore Circuit Court jury.

Police issued a warrant yesterday for a suspect in the fatal shooting of a Southeast Baltimore man early yesterday in a parking lot at President and Pratt streets. However, they had no suspects in the shooting death Tuesday of a 17-year-old West Baltimore boy.Police charged LeQuan High, 18, of the first block of Albemarle Street, with first-degree murder and a handgun violation in the death of Sheltry Holmes, 22, of the 100 block of South Exeter Street.The shooting occurred shortly after midnight yesterday when a man with a gun confronted Mr. Holmes in the 200 block of Albemarle Street, where the pair continued a long-running argument about some jewelry.

Venture out into East Baltimore's McElderry Park neighborhood after a shooting and you're likely to come across Gardnel Carter, a hulking, 48-year-old man who spent two decades in prison for murder. Along with a crew of men with similar backgrounds, dressed in matching orange and black jackets, he mingles with drug dealers and gang members, discussing what went down and going over their next moves. Police cruisers often pull up, with officers barking for them to scatter. But Carter isn't one of the usual suspects.

Joe Flacco looked like he had just been in a street fight. This was minutes after the Ravens' 17-15 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, with M&T Bank Stadium emptying the way a funeral service empties. Flacco had a nasty cut on one forearm and a dark knot forming on his forehead. But as he addressed the media, you sensed that most of the pain the Ravens quarterback felt was internal. "It's a game that we thought we could have won," he said softly. "When you come down to the end like that and you come up short, and it was because I made a dumb play and threw an interception in a tight situation.

1 A 5-year-old girl remained in critical condition Friday after being hit by a stray bullet while walking home with a relative after a shopping trip. The child, who has not been officially identified but whom an aunt said was named Raven, was on a ventilator and in pediatric intensive care at the University of Maryland Medical Center, a hospital representative said. Family members were at her side. She suffered a head wound and was bleeding from the mouth, said a neighbor who attempted to comfort the child after the shooting.

A 5-year-old girl was critically wounded Thursday afternoon, struck by a stray bullet fired by a young man who left a Southwest Baltimore street fight and returned with a gun, police said. The girl was on life support last night at University of Maryland Medical Center, where Mayor Sheila Dixon said her family was distraught and looking for answers. At the crime scene, swarms of people crowded around an intersection within view of two small, pink sandals and a pool of blood on Pulaski Street.

MENIEH, Lebanon -- After almost a week of street battles that left scores dead and threatened to push the country into open war, long-simmering Sunni-Shiite tensions here have sharply worsened, in an ominous echo of the civil conflict in Iraq. Hezbollah's brief takeover of Beirut led to brutal counterattacks in northern Lebanon, where Sunni Muslims deeply resented the Shiite militant group's display of power. The violence energized radical Sunni factions, including some affiliated with al-Qaida, and extremist Sunni Web sites across the Arab world have been buzzing with calls for a jihad to avenge the wounded pride of Lebanese Sunnis.

So now I'll have to scratch bowling off my list of recreational activities, thanks to the nasty thug who stabbed Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roderick Green last weekend. Green was treated at Sinai Hospital and should recover fully from his wound. He showed the better part of valor when he ran from his assailant and escaped further injury, according to a Sun article, by managing to "outdistance his assailant." There's much to be said for having 4.6 speed in the 40-yard dash. In fact, Green's putting distance between himself and his attacker was not only smart but downright honorable.

The Ravens made a risky move to bolster their offensive line  Tuesday, signing offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie to a two-year deal. The 6-foot-8, 350-plus-pound lineman was technically a Pro Bowl player for the Vikings in 2009 even though he didn't bother showing up for any of the Pro Bowl practices and was kicked off the NFC squad. The talent is there for McKinnie to be the Ravens' short-term answer at right tackle -- or maybe even left tackle -- but there are a few reasons why the soon-to-be 32-year-old was still on the free agent market.

A 5-year-old girl was critically wounded Thursday afternoon, struck by a stray bullet fired by a young man who left a Southwest Baltimore street fight and returned with a gun, police said. The girl was on life support last night at University of Maryland Medical Center, where Mayor Sheila Dixon said her family was distraught and looking for answers. At the crime scene, swarms of people crowded around an intersection within view of two small, pink sandals and a pool of blood on Pulaski Street.

A former correctional officer and two inmates will not go to trial in connection with an attack at the Baltimore City Detention Center because the alleged victim was stabbed to death last month in a street fight while free on bail. Ronald Scott - the main witness in the case - suffered multiple stab wounds on Sept. 14, during a fight in the 2100 block of Orleans Street in East Baltimore. He had been awaiting trial on felony narcotics charges. In early May, Scott was stabbed while he was being held at the detention center.

IT IS NOT a crime to hate black people. Let's get that out of the way from the start. It might be morally reprehensible, as would any bigotry based on race, creed, color or any number of factors. It might even have been called a sin, back in the days when we had sin. But it isn't a crime. And the disturbing thing about Jacob Tyler Fortney and the other white men accused of killing Noah Jamahl Jones is that some folks believe that they hated black people, and they wanted them prosecuted for that -- not for what happened on the night of July 24, 2005.