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Willie Edward Carter, 54, was carrying a large duffel bag with copper scraps hanging out of it when officers who heard banging while responding to a burglary at Bergen Scrap Metal on Hill Place found him inside around 1:15 a.m., Police Chief Mustafa Rabboh said.
Carter dropped the bag and ran, hopping a fence, before Officers Andres Enriquez and Kevin Helder chased him down, Rabboh said.
Carter was charged with burglary, theft and resisting arrest, among other counts, and sent to the Bergen County Jail to await a hearing last Thursday. A Superior Court judge in Hackensack released him the next day, records show.
It was nothing new for Carter, a career burglar known for stealing copper and other valuables to hock in order to buy drugs. He's also been known to resist arrest, records show.
In one incident several years ago, an Englewood police officer broke his hand while arresting Carter for a liquor store break-in that occurred less than 24 hours after he’d served two months behind bars for a parole violation.
SEE: ‘Violent’ Struggle With 10-time Felon Breaks Englewood Detective’s Hand
“This was not a case where someone was making it difficult for handcuffs to be applied — we encounter that all the time,” Detective Capt. Timothy Torell said at the time. “This was a full-out and purposeful attempt by Carter to injure officers and escape.”
Carter has had several arrests since New Jersey's 2017 bail reform law went into effect. Each time he's processed at the jail and then released soon after, records show.
Rabboh thanked the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance with the arrest.
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