Teen shot, officer bit, and more — Atlantic City, NJ, police arrest 10 in 11 hours

If you have ever wondered what it's like being a police officer in the World's Play Ground, perhaps a summary of what recently happened within 11 hours will give you a good idea.

The Atlantic City Police Department says between 4 PM on May 7th and 3 AM on May 8th, their officers responded to 150 calls for service, and 10 people were arrested.

At 5:39 PM, Ofc. Kleovoulos Zissimopoulos was doing a property check at the Circle K store on the 2000 block of Atlantic Avenue. He was told that a vehicle had fled after getting gas without paying for it and a passenger brandished a handgun.

Another ACPD officer stopped the vehicle in the 1500 block of Sewell Avenue. Of the five people inside, three were arrested — the driver, Marahd Townsend, and passengers, Yamaad Gilliam-Bey and a 15-year-old male.

Police say that the juvenile was found in possession of a loaded handgun in his waistband. Police determined that the other two individuals entered the vehicle after the robbery occurred and were released with no charges.

ARRESTED: A 15-year-old from Atlantic City
CHARGES: Robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a high-capacity magazine, and conspiracy

The juvenile was transported to Harborfields Detention Facility.

ARRESTED: Marahd Townsend, 18, of Atlantic City
CHARGES: Robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a high-capacity magazine, conspiracy, and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime

Townsend was remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

ARRESTED: Yamaad Gilliam-Bey, 19, of Atlantic City
CHARGES: Robbery, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a high-capacity magazine, conspiracy, and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime.

Gilliam-Bey was remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

At 6:13 PM, Ofc. Jose Zamorano and K9 Ofc. Melvin Murray III responded to the 100 block of North North Carolina Avenue for a report of a woman crying.

The officers located a man and woman, who had been dating and were arguing. The woman, Maria Suriel, was arrested after officers observed injuries to the man.

While handling that call, the officers encountered Veronica Blount, who was arrested when police learned she had a warrant out for her arrest in connection to a burglary and assault last month.

ARRESTED: Maria Suriel, 42, of Atlantic City
CHARGES: Simple assault

Suriel was released on a summons with a future court date.

ARRESTED: Veronica Blount, 37, of Atlantic City
CHARGES: Burglary, simple assault, and harassment

Blount was remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility

At 6:45 PM, cops allegedly saw Michael Williams engaging in a drug deal on the first block of South Florida Avenue.

Upon seeing the detectives, Williams sped off on his electric bike. The detectives arrested Williams who was found in possession of 50 individual bags of heroin, a small amount of methamphetamine, and prescription pills. Williams was also found to have an active warrant for his arrest.

ARRESTED: Michael Williams, 31, of Atlantic City
CHARGES: Possession of CDS (three counts), possession of CDS with intent to distribute (three counts), possession of CDS with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school zone (three counts), possession of CDS paraphernalia, obstruction of justice, and resisting arrest

Williams was remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

At 7:11 PM, Ofc. Wen You responded to the 100 block of Vermont Terrace for a report of an attempted theft where a homeowner "observed Garver Vila attempting to steal a ladder and carry it away while riding a bike."

After attempting to ride away, Vila dropped the ladder. He was later arrested.

ARRESTED: Garver Vila, 43, of Atlantic City
CHARGES: Theft

Vila was released on a summons with a future court date.

At 11:07 PM, officers responded to the 1400 block of Atlantic Avenue for a ShotSpotter alert.

There, they found a 15-year-old male suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center-City Division for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury.

Within 20 minutes, a vehicle wanted in connection to the shooting, which was reported stolen out of Bellmawr, was found unoccupied in the 800 block of Maryland Avenue. Evidence of gunfire was located inside the vehicle.

An investigation into this shooting is being conducted by the ACPD Violent Crimes Unit.

At 11:50 PM, two ACPD officers were called to the 400 block of Madison Avenue for a report of a man wandering in the rear of a residence. Eric Powell was taken into custody and he was found to have several warrants for his arrest.

ARRESTED: Eric Powell, 28, Norristown, NJ
CHARGES: Contempt of court

Powell was remanded to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

At 12:42 AM, an 11-year-old male, Michael Love, was reported missing by his grandmother. Officers searched the area but were unsuccessful in locating him. Love was last seen by a family member in the 1500 block of Atlantic Avenue but did not stop him. Love was later located at a family member’s residence.

At 2:48 AM, officers responded to Caesars in reference to Eugene Hayward who was allegedly trespassing.

During the interaction, Heyward refused the officer’s orders to leave the premises and attempted to walk further into the property. Heyward was irate and yelling at officers. While attempting to get Heyward to exit, he became combative and was arrested. While attempting to take Heyward into custody, he resisted and bit Officer Heriberto Barrios-Gomez on the leg.

Ofc. Barrios-Gomez was treated for a minor injury.

ARRESTED: Eugene Heyward, 42, of Conshohocken, PA
CHARGES: Aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice

Heyward was released on a summons with a future court date.

At 2:49 AM, Ofc. Rudolph Sime saw an unoccupied vehicle parked in the road on the 800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue.

That vehicle's owner, Erica Butler, later came outside and was arrested after being found to have several active warrants.

ARRESTED: Erica Butler, 39, of Absecon
CHARGES: Contempt of court.

Butler was released on her own recognizance with a future court date.

Chief James Sarkos said in a statement,

This 11-hour period is a small snippet of the incredible work being done by the members of this department each and every day. These officers effectively handled a variety of calls and the needs of the community. There is no one else I would rather have policing this City than these men and women. I am extremely proud of their unwavering dedication, professionalism, and commitment.

In all cases, the public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.