A burglary call lead police to bust three individuals on weapons charges in South Ozone Park on February 28.
According to police, they received a call of a burglary in progress in the vicinity of the Van Wyck Expressway and 105th Avenue at around 1:15 p.m.
Plainclothes officers from the anti-crime unit responded to the scene to interview the complainant and received a description of the suspects, two males and a female. Responding officers canvassed the area and discovered individuals fitting the described heading westbound on 107th Avenue.
As the officers attempted to stop the suspects, one of the males dropped a gun to the floor and they continued to walk away. At that time, police exited their vehicle and took all three individuals into custody without incident.
At the scene, they recovered a loaded Smith and Wesson .38 caliber revolver from the waistband of the Shawn Baker, 33, of Richmond Virginia and a loaded .22 caliber revolver from the purse of Tiffany Rutledge, 22 of Richmond Virginia.
Police also recovered a 9MM Hi-Point handgun dropped by Jamel Lewis, 39 of Richmond Hill, Queens.
Upon further investigation, police discovered the individuals had exited a Lincoln Navigator parked near the initial incident location. After viewing ammunition in plain sight in the vehicle, they were able to obtain a search warrant from the Queens County District Attorney’s Office.
A search of the vehicle yielded as .40 caliber Hi-Point handgun as well as approximately 200 rounds of various ammunition.
All three individuals were charged with two counts of weapons possession and criminal trespassing. Baker was additionally charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.
