Police have arrested 15 people, including five teens, on paintball-related charges since Oct. 7, police said.
File photo of a Trenton Police vehicle (Michael Mancuso | The Times of Trenton) TRENTON - Police have arrested 15 people, including five teens, on paintball gun-related charges in the city since Oct. 7, police said.
In the latest arrests, four men and a teen were charged Monday after residents complained that cars were being hit by paintball gunfire, police said.
Officers were called to the 400 block of Cleveland Avenue on reports of paintball gunfire around 8:30 p.m. and arrested Billy Woodward, 20; Sayvon Bennett, 21; Andrew Brown, 25; Daquan Laster, 22 and a 16 year old boy. All were charged with weapons possession after police found them with paintball guns, Lt. Stephen Varn said
Laster, who ran from police, also was found with 9 bricks of heroin, 5 grams of marijuana, a digital scale and $243 when he was caught by police a few blocks away. He was also charged with obstruction, resisting arrest and drug possession and distribution offenses, Varn said.
Laster's bail was not immediately available.
MORE: Police seek person who shot 5-year-old with paintball gun
It was the seventh time that police have responded to complaints of paintball gunfire in a month and the third time they were called to the 400 block of Cleveland Avenue, Varn said.
The first reports involving paintball guns came from Cleveland Avenue on Oct. 7 when residents complained about cars being hit by paintballs. No arrests were made, Varn said.
Police were called to the same block weeks later and arrested Fredrick Brown, 22, with a paintball gun on Oct. 23 following resident complaints that a group of people were shooting each other, passing cars and pedestrians with paintballs, Varn said.
Blocks away in the area of Cook and Tioga Streets, Luis Lopez, 29, of Trenton, was arrested on the 100 block of South Cook Avenue Oct. 29, charged with possession of weapons when police found him with a paintball gun.
Hours later, three others were arrested at North Cook Avenue and Freeman Lane after residents reported a paintball battle between a group of people was also hitting passing cars and pedestrians with paintballs, Varn said.
Iziaah Perkins, 19, Carey Scott, 26, Shiheem Young, 19, were arrested around 12:30 a.m. and charged with weapons possession.
Around 8:30 p.m. that night, four teens and an adult were arrested at the North 25 housing complex when police investigated paintball complaints. Two 16-year-olds and two 15-year-olds were charged. Leno Parham, of Bristol, Pa., was arrested and charged on a outstanding warrant for aggravated assault, Varn said.
Keith Brown may be reached at kbrown@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBrownTrenton. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
