A high-speed pursuit of a vehicle occupied by suspects wanted for multiple armed robberies and shots fired in several Essex County municipalities had police take two suspects into custody during the overnight hours.
According to a preliminary investigation, the suspects reportedly wreaked havoc in Essex towns specifically Bellville, Bloomfield and Newark by pointing guns at victims and demanding personal possessions on Thursday evening.
In one of several incidents, Bloomfield Police were called to the single digit block of Berkeley Heights Park after they received reports of an armed robbery in progress at around 10:30 p.m.
Units arrived at the scene and met with the victim who reported that several black male suspects exited a dark-colored vehicle armed with a gun and demanded her cell phone and purse. The victim handed over the items and the suspects jumped back into the car then sped from the scene.
At approximately 10:38 p.m., Newark Police spotted a vehicle fitting the description in the area of Summer and Grafton avenues and checked the registration which came back stolen according to reports. When officers attempted to pull the driver over, the car sped away at a high rate of speed and ultimately lost on Summer Avenue. Police believe the suspect are wanted for firing shots on several streets in the city in the last three days.
According to reports, Belleville Police were called to the 200 block of Belleville Avenue at around 11:05 p.m. to look into reports of an armed robbery that occurred at that location.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim who reported to them that a skinny black male exited a black vehicle armed with a black handgun and demanded personal possessions. The suspect took unknown items before fleeing the scene in the car.
Police put out a 'be on the lookout' to surrounding towns as they search for a black Mercedes with a reported NJ license plate number "G86-GCL" occupied by several males armed with guns.
At around midnight, Newark Police came across the vehicle and began to follow it when the driver sped through several neighborhoods in Newark's South Ward.
The suspects occupying the car made their way onto the westbound lanes of Route 22 then they bailed from the vehicle at a location on the Newark-Hillside border.
Police captured two suspects after a foot pursuit, but one suspect was able to evade capture according to reports. The suspects are suspected of committing all of the robebries.
The incident remains under investigation. There were no injuries reported.