Essex And Passaic Cops Storm Hotel In Search Of Robbery Suspects

Police officers from agencies across the region converged on the La Quinta Inn on Route 3 in Clifton on Thursday to help apprehend three Essex County men suspected of robbing a local taxi driver at gunpoint.

The massive law enforcement response included the Clifton Police Department, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department, and officers from Rutherford, Lyndhurst, Bloomfield, Nutley, Paterson, East Rutherford, Haledon and Montclair State University.

Clifton police and a SWAT team from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Department entered the hotel in pursuit of the suspects around 3 p.m., using video surveillance footage to locate the men – all Newark residents - who were hiding in various spots throughout the building.

A German Shepard from the PCSD’s K-9 unit managed to track one suspect to his hiding place under a bed, and bit the suspect’s leg, holding him in place until officers could make an arrest.

The suspect suffered minor injuries from the bite; no other suspects or officers were injured during the incident.

A guest at the hotel – a 19-year-old woman from Montclair – told NorthJersey.com that she was on the fourth floor when the SWAT team made its entrance.

The woman stated that officers led hotel guests to the nearby Red Robin until the scene was cleared.