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The boy was arrested on the 600 block of 15th Avenue when police observed him with a loaded and defaced firearm on Friday, April 22, Newark Public Safety Director Brian O'Hara said.
On Monday morning, police recovered five illegal weapons following the execution of a search warrant at a residence in the South Ward. Aazes Wade, 33, of Newark, was arrested on drug distribution and weapons offenses.
Ramir Skipwith, 24, of Irvington, was also arrested Monday, after he was observed in a vehicle that was being sought in connection with an April 23, armed robbery that occurred in Elizabeth, O'Hara said. The driver, Skipwith, disregarded police commands to pull over and attempted to flee by driving on the sidewalk at South Orange Avenue and Camden Street, police said.
He was taken into custody without further incident and was found in possession of a semi-automatic pistol that had been reported stolen out of Bloomsburg Township, PA.
Kane Davis, 23, of Union, was arrested on Sunday, April 24, after he was seen with an AK-47 rifle in the area of South Orange Avenue near Salem Street, authorities said. Davis tossed a bag containing the rifle, which was found to be loaded.
Nasir Johnson, 25, and Shakiyah Banks-Coley, 21, both of Newark; Rahfee Boykins, 24, and Khairi Chavers, 24, both of Irvington; and Tamia Anderson, 22, of East Orange, were arrested on Saturday, April 23 at Isabella Avenue, near South Orange Avenue, O'Hara said.
The five suspects were inside a speeding red Hyundai Elantra following a ShotSpotter notification in the 700 block of South Orange Avenue, police said. Upon becoming aware of police presence, the vehicle stopped with Boykins tossing a ghost gun into the backseat before he and Chavers ran from the vehicle, police said.
Both men were quickly apprehended. Police observed Johnson, the driver, with a handgun that had been reported stolen out of Beaufort County, NC, according to police. He was arrested without incident. Banks-Coley and Anderson exited the vehicle and were also arrested.
Following the execution of a search warrant on a vehicle in the area of 18th Avenue near Smith Street, police recovered two weapons and another weapon found at West Ward residence.
“I am grateful that our conscientious officers were able to recover 13 illegal weapons from our streets since Friday,” O’Hara said. “I’m especially thankful that they observed a 13-year-old with a handgun and retrieved it before the minor hurt himself or someone else.
"A child that age should be found with friends playing harmless games that can’t result in a life lost, instead of being put in a position that could wind up ending his life or that of another. So far this year, police have recovered 216 illegal firearms, showing a 48 percent increase in gun recoveries over the same period last year,” he added.
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