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Police were called to the AA Heart of Wildwood Motel at 3915 Ocean Ave., around noon, where a man later identified as Rakesh Patel had tried to kick open the lobby door while fighting with his spouse, Wildwood police said.
While searching the area, officers saw Patel try to leave the scene in a vehicle parked nearby. Shortly thereafter, Patel began physically fighting two officers, who were able to remove him from the vehicle, police said.
During this physical encounter, Patel tried to remove both officer’s duty weapons from their holsters, according to police. Fortunately, both officers were not seriously injured and Patel was arrested without further incident, police said.
Further investigation turned up a semi-automatic handgun, 10 rounds of 9mm ammunition, a rifle hand grip, and a few items of Patel’s clothing, police said. The vehicle in question was held for investigative purposes pending the execution of a court-authorized search warrant, police said.
Patel was charged with disarming a law enforcement officer, various weapons offenses including possession of a ghost gun, burglary, terroristic threats, aggravated assault on a law enforcement, officer, and more.
Back in February, Patel was arrested in an hours-long SWAT standoff in what police said was another domestic dispute.
Patel is being held in the Cape May County Correctional Center in accordance with the Attorney General Guidelines, promulgated in connection with the Criminal Justice Bail Reform Policies and Directives.
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