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Officer Jeffrey Welsh stopped the 2007 Nissan Altima on Haledon Avenue around 11:45 p.m. Sunday after the driver failed to properly signal a turn, Lt. George Guzman said.
The vehicle also didn’t have a valid inspection sticker, he said.
Welsh smelled raw marijuana as he approached the vehicle, then asked the driver for her paperwork, Guzman said.
Special Police Officers Michael Moore and Kris Duci joined Welsh, and the driver and three passengers were ordered out of the car, the lieutenant said.
One of the them, 22-year-old Raekwon Farrar of East Orange, suddenly bolted, Guzman said.
The three officers chased Farrar, joined by Sgt. Tim Lindberg and Officers Edar Merza and Andrea Len.
They quickly captured him – and, during a search, found a silver and red .380-caliber Tauras Spectrum handgun loaded with six hollow-point bullets in his right jacket pocket, Guzman said.
The vehicle, which was uninsured and unregistered, was impounded. The driver was cited for multiple motor vehicle violations.
Farrar, meanwhile, was sent to the Passaic County Jail to await a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson.
Farrar is charged with various weapons offenses, including being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, possession of hollow-point bullets and obstruction, among other counts.
“The handgun was logged into evidence and it will be submitted for ballistic analysis,” Guzman said Monday.
“We are fortunate to have this illegal handgun seized and removed off our streets,” Police Chief Angelo J. Daniele added. “Keeping Haledon safe remains our highest priority.”
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