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It began when a colleague alerted a detective sergeant and two detectives who were on patrol to a man carrying a handgun.
The pair recovered the weapon and took Tysaun Beach, 18, into custody on 12th Avenue, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and NJ State Police Major Frederick Fife said in a joint announcement.
Two other officers patrolling downtown the same day spotted Cameron Louzan, 20, who was wanted for a carjacking and weapons offenses out of North Bergen, they said.
The officers nabbed Louzon near the corner of Main and Market Street and seized the gun.
The following day, detectives from the city police Cease Fire Unit and members of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office arrested Davon Bunch and Marquan Hinton, both 19, on Carroll Street.
Bunch, who had a court order prohibiting him from being in the area, was carrying a handgun with a high-capacity magazine, said Platkin and Fife, who's serving as the city department's temporary officer in charge amid a state takeover.
Bunch apparently passed the loaded semi-automatic handgun to Hinton, who tossed it during a foot chase that ended with him in custody, they said.
Bunch and Hinton were charged with handling the same gun, among other counts that include possession of a high-capacity magazine. Hinton was also charged with resisting arrest.
A juvenile who was with both men was also seized by police and issued a delinquency complaint for the same offenses, authorities said.
A judge released Hinton, with conditions, four days later, records show. Bunch, meanwhile, remained held Friday in the Bergen County Jail.
Also held in the Bergen lockup was Louzan, who was charged with resisting arrest by trying to flee a motor vehicle stop early last month.
Beach had remained held in the Bergen County Jail for five days after police charged him with weapons offenses. A judge then released him, with conditions, under New Jersey's bail reform law.
Platkin took over the day-to-day operations of the Paterson Police Department in late March, citing what he called a “crisis of confidence” on both sides of the law and the “decimation” of trust between the two.
The move is good not only for residents who’ve come to distrust city police, he said at the time. It's also for those officers who “care deeply about their community” but have lacked the leadership and resources to do their jobs safely and effectively.
SEE: NJ Attorney General To Take Over Paterson Police Operations
“I want to thank these officers for remaining vigilant and dedicated to the city and its residents,” Platkin said Thursday. “Taking illegal firearms out of our communities prevents future instances of gun violence and tragedies associated with them. We are all working towards improving public safety in Paterson and across New Jersey.”
“The officers involved in these arrests were able to spot crimes before they happened and are playing an active role in making the City of Paterson safer," Fife added. "I want to thank them for their continued commitment to their duty as police officers.
"Great police work like this is the key to a safe community."
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