Man With Gun Wrestled To Ground In Belleville Grocery Store: Cops

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Belleville police arrested a 31-year-old Hillside man after he allegedly pulled a loaded handgun from his waistband while trying to escape from a shoplifting incident at the Superfresh Food World on Belmont Avenue last week, authorities said.

According to the Belleville Police Department, around 4:29 p.m. on March 13, store security personnel tried to stop a man who they allegedly caught shoplifting. The suspect – later identified as Hasan Chapman, 31, of Hillside – then tried to flee the store.

When store personnel gave chase after Chapman, he allegedly pulled a loaded handgun from the waistband of his pants. Store security were able to take Chapman to the ground and wrestle the gun away, police said.

Belleville officers soon arrived on the scene and took Chapman into custody. Police recovered a loaded .45 caliber handgun at the scene, along with an extra magazine inside Chapman’s pocket. The allegedly stolen merchandise was returned to the store, authorities said.

Police charged Chapman with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a prohibited weapon (hollow point bullets) and shoplifting.

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