Police recovered eight firearms and arrested five men in two separate investigations Friday.
A ShotSpotter alert at 6:13 a.m. brought officers to the 800 block of Maryland Avenue, where they found evidence of gunfire, Lt. Kevin Fair said.
Surveillance Center personnel saw several men run into a residence on the block, including one armed with a rifle, according to the report.
Parole officers established a perimeter around the residence and waited for the Emergency Response Team.
Those inside voluntarily surrendered to SWAT team members, Fair said.
The incident blocked off the street. Several of the occupants were released at the scene, including a teenage girl, according to her family, who said she had to be brought clothes.
Officers recovered a rifle, a machine gun, two handguns, and additional ammunition after getting a search warrant, Fair said.
Several of the occupants were released on scene.
Faraji Blackwell, Adresce Jones, Joshua Maldonado, and Elliot Simmons were taken to the Clayton G. Graham Public Safety Building, and later charged, Fair said.
The investigation was led by Detective Darrin Lorady.
Blackwell, 27, and Jones, Maldonado, and Simmons, all 18, were charged with multiple weapons offenses, along with tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension.
They were all being held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending detention hearings.
Just before 1 p.m., members of the SWAT team and Special Investigations Section executed a search warrant in the first block of South Mansion Avenue in a drug investigation, Fair said.
Joaquin DeJesus was arrested after detectives found four firearms, including a rifle and machine gun, more than 32 grams of cocaine, and items used in the distribution of narcotics in the residence, Fair said.
One of the firearms was reported stolen from Los Angeles, according to the report.
DeJesus, 51, was charged with multiple weapons and drug offenses. He is being held in the Atlantic County Justice Facility pending a detention hearing.
The two-week investigation was led by Detective James Barrett.
“The investigations today resulted in the recovery of eight deadly firearms from the streets of our community,” Interim Officer in Charge James Sarkos said. “I am thankful that these dangerous weapons have been removed from the hands of violent offenders and that no one was injured during the course of today’s incidents. The men and women of the Atlantic City Police Department will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our neighborhoods are safe for our residents.”
The Atlantic County Justice Facility is barred from releasing mugshots to the public under an order by the former prosecutor.
