Newark NJ police recently arrested a man accused of carrying a submachine gun on a city street.

Newark police officers were patrolling the area near South 15th Street and 14th Avenue when they witnessed two men, the 22-year-old suspect and an unidentified male, walk into the backyard of an abandoned home.

The two suspects reportedly got inside the home through a first-floor window. A few moments later, the suspects emerged from the residence carrying what appeared to be weapons.

When the police officers announced their presence outside the home, the suspect allegedly ran off in different directions. During the subsequent chase, one of the suspects reportedly threw a loaded weapon onto the ground.

Police officers eventually caught up to the suspect and placed him under arrest. The other man managed to escape capture and still remains at large.

After police arrested the suspect, they found the gun that had been tossed to the ground. According to law enforcement, the weapon was a loaded .22 caliber semi-automatic variant of the HK MP5 submachine gun.

The suspect was charged with several weapons offenses, including unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a high-capacity magazine, and possession of a prohibited device. Additionally, he was charged with resisting arrest.

If the suspect is ultimately convicted on the weapons offense charges, he would be subject to severe penalties. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5, anyone illegally in possession of a prohibited weapon such as a handgun or a machine gun can be charged with a second degree criminal offense. A conviction on second degree gun charges could lead to a sentence of 5-10 years in NJ State Prison.

For more information about this case, access the NJ.com article entitled “Man Arrested with Loaded Gun, Newark Cops Say.”