5 guns taken in series of arrests between Friday and Sunday
NEWARK -- City police and law enforcement from other agencies took part in a series of arrests during the long Labor Day weekend that yielded several weapons as well as drugs, police spokesman Sgt. Ron Glover said.
Early Friday, Rafael Perez, 27, was arrested by Third Precinct officers after he was spotted among a group of males near Orchard and Tichenor streets around 1 a.m. Several people were running towards Perez, Glover said.
As officers watched, Perez removed a gun from a backpack and displayed it to the group before placing it in a Hyundai parked nearby, Glover said. When police approached, Perez allegedly threw a black bag under the car. As the other males were detained, police conducted a search and found a loaded .45-caliber handgun as well as 12 envelopes of heroin, 13 glass vials and a jug of crack cocaine in the bag thrown under the car. Perez was arrested and charged with several weapons and narcotics violations.
On Friday afternoon, detectives, acting on a tip, attempted to detain a city man, Darnell Hughee, 31, as he walked near Avon and Hillside avenues. The tipster said Hughee had a gun in a backpack.
Hughee dropped the bag when police approached and ran but was quickly caught and arrested around 4:15 P.M. He was charged with resisting arrest, obstruction and several weapons violations after police recovered a loaded .22-caliber handgun, Glover said.
Around 9 p.m., an 18-year-old city man, Tyheed Moore, was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon after being apprehended by personnel assigned to the Firearms Interdiction Unit. Personnel from the Essex County Sheriff's Office and New Jersey Institute of Technology police were assigned to the unit.
Moore was part of a group spotted on N. 7th Street and quickly walked away when he became aware of the police presence, grabbing the front of his waistband as he walked, Glover said. Police stopped Moore, who was in possession of a loaded .22-caliber handgun, Glover said.
Around 3 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a domestic violence call in the 200 block of N. 5th Street. The 29-year-old victim said he had been assaulted by his partner, causing bleeding and swelling to his head, Glover said. The victim also said the alleged assailant, Anthony Cherry, 49, was still in the apartment and that there were weapons inside.
Cherry was taken into custody and the weapon used to attack the victim, a BB gun was seized, along with a shotgun and ammunition. Cherry was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Early Sunday morning, at 2 a.m., detectives with the Carjacking Task Force were conducting patrols intended to prevent incidents when they spotted a BMW pass through a red light near 15th Avenue and S. 10th Street, Glover said.
When police stopped the driver, 26-year-old Harris Freeman of Irvington, and asked to see Freeman's credentials, they saw the handle of a firearm and a large magazine sticking out from under the driver's seat. A ski mask was on the passenger seat, Glover said.
The weapon is a TEC-9 machine gun, Glover added, also stating that Freeman was charged with possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and other weapons offenses.
"Over the long weekend, we bolstered our man power in the streets to assure a safe end to the summer season. We received an abundance of support from the citizens - who left tips on our tip line leading to an arrest relating to the illegal possession of a handgun," said Newark Police Director Eugene Venable.
"In all, police arrested five people and confiscated five guns, a testament to the hard working officers we have here in the Newark Police Department."
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook
