BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) -- A jury has found an 18-year-old man not guilty of a crime for carrying a loaded M-1 rifle as he walked through the downtown of an affluent Detroit suburb.

Birmingham police arrested Sean Combs on April 13. A district court jury in Oakland County's Bloomfield Township got the case Wednesday and reached a verdict Thursday.

Judge Marc Barron threw out a charge of resisting and obstructing police before deliberations started. The jurors then found Combs not guilty of brandishing a firearm and disturbing the peace.

WWJ-AM reports that after the verdict, Combs said he considers carrying a rifle in public as part of his "freedom of speech and expression."

Earlier, city attorney Mary Kacharik told jurors that Combs was "showing off," `'liked the attention" and "wanted to shock people."

AP