It's a very simple answer, really: the fact that I have been a member of this forum since 2005 and I have read a lot of "stories" by people that frequently leave out important EEI's (essential elements of information) to posture and omit shady or odious elements of the events. The fact that people will write about a hypothetical "friend" when they are really writing about themselves, and want to put a "best foot forward." The fact that I work in the criminal justice system (not a LEO) and deal with accounts or narratives of people who will omit certain facts or slant things in such a perspective so as to color the situation in a manner that distorts the facts. The fact you are a new member of this forum (welcome, btw, I hope that you enjoy your time here, it is probably the best forum of its type on the internet...period) and your veracity has yet to be established (not being judgemental here, merely reserving judgement, I appreciate your dedication to preserving 2nd Amendment Rights).
Your friend needs to get a very good attorney very quickly and must realize that the police are not his friends, that the DA is interested in a conviction and that there are sufficient facts to move forward. The sooner that he realizes that he is in very deep doo-doo, the better, that this is not a game and the potential for his life to be ruined is great.
I also get tired of hearing about mistakes one does as a youth. Granted, everyone probably does something that could get them a record, but they were lucky and didn't get caught. Some of us were VERY lucky. Someone gets busted for being a minor in posession of alcohol, for instance is not an uncommon offense, a one time thing, an aberation if you will. Your friend, if I read your posts correctly, has multiple juvenile offenses and that sends out a red flag. You say he wasn't in too much trouble, yet the majority of us who read and post to these boards have never been in trouble at all outside of a few traffic offenses, perhaps. It doesn't make us imbued with virtue and like I said earlier maybe makes some of us lucky. I will grant you too, that the police and prosecuters frequently go after someone who gives off a certain vibe that almost guarantees conviction he may be "easy pickins" so to speak...but still if your friend is so F******G STUPID that he hasn't already lawyered up, then he gets what he deserves.
So call me harsh, call me cynical, call me uncaring....but to quote the famous newcaster Walter Cronkite: "That's the way it is."
All the best to you and your friend,
Mark056