Weapons, drugs found Sunday night
NEWARK -- Four residents were arrested Sunday night on drug and weapons charges, a police spokesman, Sgt. Ron Glover, said.
Shortly before 5 p.m., detectives with the Narcotics Enforcement Section were sent to the 100 block of Wakeman Avenue on reports of drug activity. Dressed as civilians and in unmarked cars, the detectives conducted surveillance of the area, watching as a group of males congregated in front of a building.
One man, Christian Padilla, 20, was spotted with what appeared to be a gun handle sticking out of his pants, Glover said. When officers approached the group and ordered them to stand still, Padilla allegedly ran off, throwing the gun under a car as he was being chased, Glover said. He was eventually captured after a short foot chase and charged with unlawful possession of the loaded 9-mm handgun and other offenses.
At 8:30pm, detectives assigned to the Special Conditions Team were patrolling near the Bradley Court Village on South Orange and North Munn avenues when they were approached by a citizen who reported two people who frequently sold drugs in the area. The witness provided a description of the two and where they could be seen.
Detectives spotted one man who matched the tipster's description, who alerted the second suspect when police approached, Glover said. The two fled into a nearby apartment as one of them dropped an item on the hallway floor, Glover also said.
When police entered the apartment they saw a woman and the two suspects in a back room, one of whom had a gun in his waistband, Glover said. Detectives ordered everyone to lie on the floor and retrieved a weapon, a 40-mm Glock handgun. Drugs, paraphernalia and cash from suspected drug sales were also found.
Police arrested Lateefah Martin and charged her with possession of narcotics. Jamil Smith, 32, was charged with drugs and weapons violations and Raheem Johnson, 33, was charged with drug offenses.
"These arrests were the result of information being funneled to our officers and the officers' due diligence in investigating the complaints via surveillance before acting," said Newark Police Director Eugene Venable.
"They we able to arrests four suspects and safely remove two guns and drugs out of the hands of known criminals. With the continued cooperation between the residents and the police we can make our city a nicer place to live and work in."
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook
