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Purported Pagan's Motorcycle Club Member Charged With Attempted Murder In NJ Break-In

A purported member of a the Pagan's Motorcycle Club was charged with attempted murder after breaking into a home and firing a gun Saturday night in South Jersey.

Pagan's MC patch

Pagan's MC patch

Photo Credit: US Justice Dept/Wikimedia Commons

Michael F. Dorazo, 41, was armed with a pair of handguns and a high-power, high-capacity assault weapon when he broke into a Pasadena Avenue in Deptford around noon, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said.

The Gloucester Township resident last December was released from federal prison to home confinement pending a trial stemming from a firearms charge, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The charges apparently stem from a federal racketeering case against members of the Pagan's Motorcycle Club, considered by law enforcement to be a violent gang involved in drug and weapons trafficking.

Local residents were told to shelter in place, and a massive search for Dorazo -- who had fled the scene -- was launched.

Dorazo was spotted in the same neighborhood around 9:30 Saturday evening, and initially refused to surrender to authorities and “took steps to deploy a handgun toward officers," the prosecutor's office said.

A Deptford Township police officer eventually tackled Dorazo and took him into custody.

Dorazo was charged with attempted murder, burglary during commission of an attempted murder and domestic violence incident, certain persons not to possess firearms, possession of firearms for an unlawful purpose, and resisting arrest, authorities said.

He was processed and remanded to the custody of the Salem County Correctional Facility pending an initial appearance.

The Deptford Township Police Department, the Gloucester Township Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, US Marshal's Service personnel deployed by New Jersey United States Marshal Juan Mattos, federal ATF personnel, the Real-Time Crime Center South, and partners from Gloucester County OEM/Public Safety/Communications led by Coordinator Dennis McNulty assisted in the search and investigation.

Witnesses with information regarding Dorazo are urged to call Sgt. John Petroski of the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office at 856-498-6238 or Detective Maureen Baney of the Deptford Township Police Department at 856-689-6946.

Information can also be e-mailed to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office at tips@co.gloucester.nj.us.

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