Schenectady man charged in Becker Street standoff; Faces multiple weapons counts

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Members of the Schenectady police Special Operations Squad move in on a Becker Street residence Monday.

SCHENECTADY – One man faces multiple weapons counts related to a Monday standoff on Becker Street, authorities said.

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Others detained after the department’s Special Operations Squad went into the residence were not charged, police said.

Laun T. Baker, 44, of McClellan Street, was arrested on one count each of second-degree and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm, felonies.

Baker is accused of possessing a loaded Amadeo Rossi S&A .38 special revolver just after 1 p.m. Monday at 1575 Becker St., according to police allegations filed in court.

Police based the charges on, among other information, county video surveillance and the recovery of a handgun during execution of a search warrant.

Police detained multiple people and recovered a total of four firearms after the hours-long incident Monday on Becker Street.

The incident began just after 1 p.m., when police received information that a person with a gun was on the front porch of 1571-1573 Becker St., police said.

As police responded, two men fled from the porch into the house, police said.

Then, as officers began to form a perimeter around the house, officers saw one firearm thrown out out of a window from a separate dwelling on the same property, behind 1571-1573 Becker St., police said.

Members of the department’s Special Operations Squad could be seen going into the residence at about 4:15 p.m.

Detectives obtained a search warrant for both properties and found three more firearms, police said.

The charges against Baker only relate to the single weapon.

He was arraigned and ordered held without bail. He remained in custody Tuesday afternoon.