An Atlantic City man who admitted to having a gun to intimidate rival gang members was sentenced to seven years in prison Monday.
Altarik Hopkins, 22, must serve at least 3½ years before he is eligible for parole.
Hopkins and a juvenile co-defendant fled a car stop May 5, 2021, after Atlantic City police recognized the vehicle as one reported stolen from Vineland.
The vehicle crashed, but Hopkins fled.
Police found cell phones and two loaded handguns inside the vehicle, according to the charges.
An analysis at the New Jersey State Police lab linked one of the guns to two shooting investigations, police said at the time. No details were given on those shootings and it does not appear Hopkins was charged in any either of those cases.
The cellphone contained videos of Hopkins and the juveniles passing around handguns while driving through rival gang territory in the stolen vehicle.
Police put out a wanted flyer for Hopkins that June. He was arrested that September, jail records show.
The investigation was done by the Atlantic City Police Department and prosecuted by the
Gangs, Guns and Narcotics Unit of the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
