An Atlantic City man just released from prison in March is back in jail after he was allegedly found with a loaded gun by police investigating shots fired.
Anthony Faulkner, 29, was one of three city men arrested after police were called to the first block of North Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for a ShotSpotter alert just after 10 p.m. Friday, Sgt. Paul Aristizabal said.
No one was injured and there was no evidence of gunfire, according to the report.
Surveillance Center personnel was able to identify two vehicles that were possibly involved in the shooting and a description was put out to all units, according to the report.
Officer Nickolas Cardani saw one of the vehicles in the rear parking lot of an apartment building on the street with three men leaning against it, Aristizabal said.
Officers Anthony Nastasi and Atiqul Islam arrived as backup.
When the three men saw the officers, they started to walk away, Aristizabal said.
Lt. Mark Benjamin Sr., Officer Melvin Murray III, and the responding officers converged on the men and successfully detained them.
Faulkner was found with a loaded handgun and 78 grams of marijuana, according to the charges. He just finished serving more than three years in prison on conspiracy and weapons offenses, according to state Department of Corrections records.
Brian Lee, 20, was found with a loaded handgun, six grams of suspected cocaine and 62 grams of marijuana, Aristizabal said.
Marcell Ellis, 23, was found with 292 grams of synthetic marijuana and 24 grams of raw marijuana, along with $10,879 believed to be proceeds from drug sales.
Faulkner and Lee were charged with drug and weapons offenses, including possession of a weapon during a drug offense and possession by a certain person not to possess a weapon, due to their criminal histories.
Lee was additionally charged with receiving stolen property.
Ellis was charged with drug offenses.
All three were taken to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
PICTURED: Anthony Faulkner/Department of Corrections photo
