Two men were arrested Sunday, after they allegedly robbed a Galloway motel armed with a rifle and a tire iron.
Police were called to the Tri-Way Motel on the White Horse Pike just before 8 a.m., and told that two men in white masks assaulted the owner/manager and stole some items before fleeing the scene, police said.
Rohit Surti was treated at the scene for injuries not considered life-threatening. Patrol officers found a suspicious vehicle about a block away a short time later, with a man and woman inside, according to the report.
A second man got into the car as police approached.
The vehicle's license plate was fictitious and all exterior factory markings were covered with duct tape, police said.
While speaking with the occupants, patrol saw a white mask like the one described as being used in the robbery sticking out from under the driver's seat. The vehicle was held and a later search found the other white mask, latex gloves, a tire iron, and items stolen from the motel, according to the report.
An AMD-65 AK-47 rifle was found a short distance from the vehicle, near where the second male had been seen walking from. It has a 30-round high-capacity magazine, but there were no bullets when it was recovered, police said.
The evidence recovered matched what was seen on security camera footage, police said.
Matthew Lynch, 26, of Galloway and Emanuel Heath, 22, of Pleasantville, were each charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of an unlicensed assault firearm, possession of a large-capacity ammunition magazine, possession of other weapon, burglary, theft and aggravated assault.
They were lodged in the Atlantic County Justice Facility on $250,000 full cash bail each.
Lynch is currently on probation for a 2015 conviction of manufacturing and distributing heroin, court records show. He was given two years' probation this past April.
