Newark Cops On Coronavirus Patrol Make Gun Arrest: Feds

NEWARK, NJ — Newark police officers on a coronavirus patrol arrested a local man and seized a gun with a “Glock switch” last week, authorities said.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Anthony Reynolds, 26, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with one count of possession of a machine gun, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of possession of a machine gun not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Each of the three charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Reynolds is scheduled for a court appearance via video conference on Friday.

According to prosecutors:

“On May 2, at approximately 8:40 p.m., Newark police officers were conducting surveillance in marked patrol cars in the area of Summer Avenue and May Street in Newark, with the specific purpose of minimizing social gathering of citizens in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. One of the officers observed several individuals congregating on the sidewalk within close proximity to each other. The officers stopped their patrol cars and exited their vehicles. As they did so, one of the officers observed Reynolds remove a black handgun from the front of his waistband and place it underneath a parked vehicle. An officer looked underneath the vehicle and observed a .40 caliber Glock 23 semiautomatic handgun, which was loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition.”

According to prosecutors, law enforcement officials determined that the firearm was fitted with a Glock conversion device sometimes referred to as “Glock switch,” which has the effect of converting a semiautomatic Glock pistol into a “machinegun.”

Police arrested Reynolds, also finding a small bag with suspected marijuana and $655 in cash, prosecutors said.

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