BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS Teen’s bid to...

BRIEFLY IN

THE NEWS

Teen’s bid to buy gun-maker trumped

A young shooting victim lost his attempt Thursday to buy the

company that manufactured the gun that injured him.

Brandon Maxfield, 17, a resident of Willits, Calif., had hoped to

buy Costa Mesa-based Bryco Arms and shut it down. His final bid of

$505,000 fell short of the $510,000 offered by Paul Jimenez, a former

employee of the company, according to a press release from Brandon’s

Arms, a nonprofit organization set up by Brandon.

Brandon was accidentally shot when he was 7 with one of Bryco

Arms’ “Saturday Night Special” guns. The accident left him paralyzed

from the neck down.

Attorneys for Brandon claimed the guns were defective, and in 2003

a jury awarded the boy $50.9 million in compensatory damages. Bryco

appealed the decision and filed for bankruptcy.

Jimenez made an initial bid of $150,000 to buy the company, and

Brandon submitted a bid of $175,000, raised through his website. A

Florida judge then ordered an open auction of the company, which took

place Thursday.

Teens graduate from police program

Students in the Newport Beach Police Teen Academy celebrated their

graduation Thursday night at the Newport Beach Public Library.

Participants, age 14 to 18, attended eight weekly classes. The

program is similar to the department’s Citizens’ Police Academy.

Students learn how the Police Department is structured and how it

responds to emergencies. The program included demonstrations and

meetings with officers from SWAT, K-9, narcotics, patrol and

helicopter divisions.

Those who completed the course received 24 hours of community

service.

This was the third year for the summer teen program, Newport Beach

Police Sgt. Steve Shulman said.