Denver: Prosecutors filed a felony
assault charge against a CIA contractor accused of getting
into a fight over a parking space in the state of Colorado
months after he was involved in a fatal shootout in Pakistan.
Raymond Davis, 37, was arrested Saturday after an
altercation outside a bagel shop in Highlands Ranch, a
community south of Denver where he lives.
Davis has not yet entered a plea. His defence attorney,
William Frankfurt, didn`t immediately return a call seeking
comment.
Authorities have released few details about the fight and
did not identify the other person involved.
KUSA-TV said two drivers wanted the same spot in a
crowded parking lot.
One driver pulled up behind the other, rolled down a
window and began shouting, and the confrontation escalated
into a physical fight, the station reported.
In January, Davis said he shot two Pakistani men who
tried to rob him in Lahore. The case enraged many in the
country, where anti-American sentiment runs high.
The US insisted Davis had immunity from prosecution, but
he was not released until March 16 under a deal in which the
victims` families agreed to accept USD 2.34 million in "blood
money" under Islamic tradition.
Pakistan`s security agencies came under intense domestic
criticism for freeing Davis.
Davis was charged with second-degree assault-crime of
violence. If convicted, he could face a possible prison term
of five to 16 years.
He was originally arrested on suspicion of a lesser
charge of third-degree assault, a misdemeanour. That charge
carries a possible penalty of six to 18 months in a county
jail.
District attorney`s spokeswoman Casimir Spencer said
prosecutors opted for the more serious charge because it was
appropriate. She declined to elaborate.
Davis also faces a misdemeanour charge of disorderly
conduct, which carries a sentence of up to six months in
county jail.
Davis appeared yesterday in a court in Castle Rock, south
of Denver. He was free on USD 1,750 bond and expected to
return to court for another hearing today.
Bureau Report
