Four suspects accused of firing multiple shots at police officers during a pursuit through North Brunswick and New Brunswick on March 12 have been charged with six counts each of attempted murder, and one count each of eluding police and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.
The defendants have been identified as James Phillips Jr., 58, and Anthony Peterson, 43, both of Newark; James Holmes, 54, address unknown; and Sammie Dobson, 52, of Jersey City.
Phillips, Holmes and Dobson each sustained gunshot wounds and are being treated at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Peterson, who was not injured, is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick.
All four defendants are waiting for bail to be set on the charges.
According to a press release from Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce J. Kaplan and New Brunswick Police Director Anthony A. Caputo, the criminal complaints accuse the defendants of firing upon five New Brunswick police officers and a North Brunswick police officer during the pursuit.
North Brunswick and New Brunswick police were advised of a bank robbery at 5:56 p.m. on March 12 at the Bank of America branch on Route 27 at Veronica Avenue in Franklin Township in Somerset County, according to authorities.
Franklin Township and North Brunswick police became involved in the pursuit of the suspects, who headed into New Brunswick, where city police officers became involved in the pursuit, according to the release.
New Brunswick officers followed the suspects’ vehicle onto Delafield Street, which ends at the rear of Saint Peter’s University Hospital. The suspects’ vehicle, a 1996 green Ford Windstar, crashed into a security gate, and the four suspects got out of the van. One or more of them began firing at the police officers, who returned the gunfire, officials said.
The suspects ran to nearby Guilden Street, where they were apprehended by the officers. None of the officers was injured. The injured defendants were quickly taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
At the scene of the shooting, police recovered four weapons, including handguns and a semi-automatic weapon, according to the release.
The investigation into the shooting is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call New Brunswick Detective Mark Pappas at 732-745-5217 or Investigator Scott Crocco of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4471.