NJ 12-Year-Old Wielding Gun Bit Cop During Arrest, Police Say

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - An armed 12-year-old from Atlantic City was charged after assaulting a police officer Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

The preteen was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, aggravated assault on a police officer, obstruction of justice and resisting arrest, police said. The name of the boy was not immediately made available.

At around 2:06 p.m., Atlantic City Police Officer Troy Grams observed a young man with a handgun in his waistband walking on the 600 block of New York Avenue, police said.

While inside a convenience store, the boy noticed Grams, and “immediately left the counter and attempted to flee through an employee area towards the back door,” police said.

Grams grabbed the boy and tried to arrest him, but the 12-year-old resisted while “continually trying to reach for the handgun in his waistband,” police said.

The boy also bit Grams during the “lengthy struggle,” causing an injury to the officer’s hand. An arrest was made with help from Officer Eric O’Neill-Knuttel, police said.

A loaded handgun was dislodged from the preteen’s waistband during the struggle and was recovered from inside of his pant leg, police said. He was remanded to the Harborfields Detention Facility.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Atlantic City Police Department Criminal Investigations Section at 609-347-5766 or submit a text anonymously to tip411 (847411) and begin the text with ACPD.