Keith Primm, 29, of the Bronx had just exited the Closter Plaza store when the officers pulled up, Lt. Vincent Aiello said.
A caller had told police that Primm, who was also carrying a backpack, was “possibly displaying a weapon,” the lieutenant added.
Primm told the responding officers that he’d bought the items in the bags, then dropped them and ran towards Vervalen Street, Aiello said.
Backups arrived as Primm made his way across Vervalen and through a rear yard on High Street, emerging near the intersection of Closter Dock Road – where he was promptly arrested, the lieutenant said.
He was carrying a Taser, Aiello said.
Primm was charged with shoplifting and possession of a weapon and drug paraphernalia before being released pending a court hearing under New Jersey’s 2017 bail reform law.
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