Quick action by Bridgeton officers responding to a “shots fired” call at the Burlington Manor Apt. complex Saturday morning resulted in the arrest of two subjects, recovery of three handguns and possibly interrupting the shootings of a local man, according to reports.
Police arrested Edward T. Dawkins, 33, of Fairfield Twp., and Alexander J. Kirkland, of Bridgeton and charged them with a multitude of offenses including attempted homicide, robbery, aggravated assault with a weapon and kidnapping for the incident that occurred shortly after midnight on Pleasant Avenue just north of the apartment complex.
According to Chief of Police Michael Gaimari, officers were called to the area initially for shots being fired by subjects in the parking lot of the apartment complex off of S. Burlington Road shortly after midnight Friday and were quickly diverted to Pleasant Ave. after receiving information that four armed subjects had entered a vacant residence there abducting a 41-year-old local man, whom police did not identify, near that location.
According to reports, before officers arrived the suspects fired a shot at the man nearly striking him and all the suspects fled the vacant residence on foot as police arrived. Officers Zachary Martorana, Christopher Zanni, Guilermo Perez and David Jones gave chase and were able to apprehend two of the suspects who were taken into custody while two suspects escaped.
Gaimari said three handguns were recovered from inside the abandoned residence the suspects reportedly broke into on Pleasant Ave. and officers later learned the suspects were fleeing the complex initially after robbing two subjects at gunpoint sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot.
“It was an excellent job all the way around,” Gaimari said commending the officers, “there were multiple scenes and incidents occurring simultaneously involving a robbery, shots being fired, an abduction, a possible hostage situation and a foot pursuit of armed suspects and to be able to apprehend at least two of the suspects at the time and the fact that no one was injured is commendable.”
He added that no other information will be released at this time noting the investigation is continuing and that detectives have leads on the identities of the two suspects at large.
Authorities said both suspects have been lodged in the Cumberland County Jail with no bail.