Three men indicted in police manhunt

The men eluded capture for one day.
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Mahoning County grand jury has indicted three men on numerous charges tied to a series of events, including a robbery and someone's firing at police officers, on the city's East Side in July.
The grand jury indicted Duniek Christian, 20, of North Garland Avenue; Jumal Edwards, 22, of Woodcrest Avenue; and Brandon Jackson, 22, of North Truesdale Avenue, each on nine counts of felonious assault. Edwards also is charged with one count of aggravated robbery. Firearm specifications are also included in those crimes.
At a preliminary hearing last month, a church secretary at Mount Zion Baptist Church said that on July 1, Edwards came to the church requesting prayer, noting that his brother had been killed.
She said he later returned to the church and pointed a handgun at her and her 6-year-old granddaughter before demanding the keys to her Cadillac and leaving the church.
Police pursuit
A police officer testified to his experience following the Cadillac after hearing a radio alert on his way to work that day. He described a head-on collision between the Cadillac and an unmarked police car, his view of the individuals inside the car, which he said was driven by Christian, and the assault rifle used by someone to shoot at him and other officers.
The officer also said he saw the defendants get out of the car and run into a section of woods bordered by Pearl Street.
Police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off several East Side streets looking for the men that day, but they escaped the dragnet. They were caught July 2.
The nine counts of felonious assault against the men are for shooting at police officers who had attempted to stop them. The firearm specifications are for shooting from a motor vehicle.
The aggravated robbery charge against Edwards says he used a firearm to commit a theft offense, which was taking the secretary's vehicle.
All the charges are first-degree felonies, which carry maximum penalties of 10 years in prison. The firearm specifications carry penalties ranging from three to five years. By law, those penalties must be served before the time imposed for other convictions.