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Heroin marketed to current events is commonplace in the inner cities – from “WMD” and “Bin Laden” to “Hurricane Sandy,” “ObamaCare” and even “KURTCOBAIN.”
Paterson Officer Jimmy Maldonado was on uniform patrol in the area of Godwin Avenue and Auburn Street on Sunday when he saw the deal go down, Police Director Jerry Speziale said.
The two men involved started to tip away as Maldonado approached, he said.
One of them – identified as Tyrone Redd, 53 – broke into a run, dropping a vial of crack and one of the heroin bags, Speziale said.
Maldonado scooped up the drugs, called for backups and chased Redd toward Straight Street.
Ducking into a yard, Redd tried to shimmy his way through a thin alleyway between two buildings as the officer ordered him to surrender, Speziale said.
“F*** no!” he said Redd yelled.
Sgt. W Niebank arrived moments later and both officer took Redd into custody after a brief struggle, the director said.
Redd was carrying 11 vials of crack and two more “Corona Virus” bags, Speziale said.
Police charged him with various drug counts and obstruction and released him pending a court hearing under New Jersey’s coronavirus state of emergency directives.
“While we work feverishly to stop the spread of this virus, we are also working to stop the spread of drugs in Paterson,’ Mayor Andre Sayegh said. “Our police department is performing at a very high level during this crisis.”
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