First pulled over for a traffic stop, a Lawton man is in jail after he was accused of driving off before a K-9 officer could conduct an open-air sniff.
Elijah Lee Graham, 34, made his initial appearance Tuesday in Comanche County District Court where he received felony charges of gang-related offense, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm after former felony conviction. He also faces misdemeanor counts of obstructing police, knowingly receiving, concealing and/or withholding stolen property, possession of ecstasy, records indicate.
Lawton Police Officer Hunter Phillips stated he pulled over a Chevrolet Suburban around 12:05 a.m. Monday due to a brake light that was out. Initially, the driver, Graham, appeared calm before he broke into a sweat and began to tremble and shake when asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, the probable cause affidavit states. Phillips recognized Graham as a member of the Rollin 90s Neighborhood Crip gang.
A K-9 officer was called and when told of this, Graham “immediately was confrontational” and grabbed the driver’s side door to shut it, the affidavit states. Phillips stated he grabbed the door and opened it when the Suburban began moving, taking off at a high rate of speed.
A vehicle pursuit followed before Graham stopped at apartments in the 2200 block of Northwest Hoover Avenue and took off on foot, according to the officer. While running, Graham was seen throwing items from his pants before being taken to the ground by police, according to the affidavit. Police found a chamber-loaded .40 caliber handgun in the grass where Graham was taken into custody, Phillips stated. No magazine was recovered.
During a search at booking, police recovered two ecstasy pills, the affidavit states.
Graham has an October 2016 felony conviction in Monmouth County, New Jersey, for a count of aggravated assault, records indicate.
Held on $75,000 bond, Graham returns to court at 3 p.m. Aug. 28 for his preliminary hearing conference.
