Atlantic City Cops: Four Charged Following Stolen Vehicle Investigation

Cops in Atlantic City say four people, all between the ages of 14 and 20, have been charged after fleeing from officers and crashing a stolen vehicle last month; two guns were found inside the car.

The Atlantic City Police Department says on the afternoon of May 5th, officers responded to Chesapeake Court after receiving an alert from Vineland Police that a stolen vehicle from their area might be in the city. Responding officers found the stolen vehicle and attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop, but it sped away and eventually crashed at Delta and Adriatic Avenues.

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Police say after the crash, four people from inside the vehicle fled from the scene but a 17-year-old man was caught and taken into custody. The three other occupants were not arrested.

According to police,

Inside the crashed vehicle, officers recovered two loaded handguns. One handgun contained hollow-point ammunition and both had large capacity magazines.

Detectives of the Violent Crimes Unit initiated an investigation into the three males that fled the vehicle. During their investigation, the identities of the remaining suspects were revealed. A wanted warrant was issued for Altarik Hopkins. Two juvenile males, 14 and 16, were also charged.

A New Jersey State Police lab analysis of the handguns recovered identified one being used in two prior shooting investigations in Atlantic City resulting in an additional criminal charge of unlawful possession of a community gun.

The 17-year-old from Atlantic City was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (community gun), possession of a high capacity magazine, possession of hollow-point ammunition, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy. He was released on a summons with a future court date. Upon his initial arraignment, he was presented with additional charges for the community gun and was released on a summons.

A 14-year-old and a 16-year-old, both from Atlantic City, were both charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (community gun), possession of a high capacity magazine, possession of hollow-point ammunition, receiving stolen property, and conspiracy. The 14-year-old was presented his charges while in custody at Harborfields Detention Facility after being arrested on May 31st. The 16-year-old was placed on a summons with a future court date.

20-year-old Altarik Hopkins (a.k.a. Cody Hood) of Atlantic City was charged with two counts of unlawful possession of a weapon, two counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (community gun), possession of a high capacity magazine, possession of hollow-point ammunition, receiving stolen property, conspiracy, and employing a juvenile in commission of a crime.

Charges are accusations and the accused are considered innocent until proven guilty.