Chattanooga teen's court date postponed

The Hamilton County Criminal Court date for a teen charged in several violent incidents has been moved to August.

Lonta Burress Jr., 17, was scheduled to appear Wednesday before Judge Don Poole on aggravated assault, evading arrest, reckless driving and other charges related to a December school bus stop shooting in which police say Burress participated.

Poole moved the court date to Aug. 11.

About 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, police said, someone in a stolen red Ford F-150 truck fired six to 10 shots from two .38-caliber revolvers at students standing at the 3210 Through St. bus stop. No one was injured.

Burress also faces a criminal homicide charge in connection with the June 1 shooting death of 17-year-old Darrius "Little D" Townsend. The case has a preliminary hearing set for Monday before Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck.

A witness told police he watched Burress stand over Townsend in the 900 block of Taylor Street. Townsend was lying on the street with his hands in the air and said, "Don't do me like this man," according to the arrest report.

Prosecutors dropped charges that connected Burress to a March 2010 Coolidge Park shooting that injured five in a crowd of hundreds after a key witness, Dejuan Upshaw, changed testimony on the witness stand.