Two men from Monmouth County have been charged with conspiracy to commit armed burglary following their alleged involvement in an incident in Tinton Falls.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, an attempted armed burglary in Tinton Falls on the afternoon of Oct. 14 evolved into a shots fired incident when the intended victims of the burglary confronted their assailants.
One assailant was arrested in Tinton Falls, while a second suspect fled to a Freehold Borough apartment, triggering a call for the Monmouth County Emergency Response Team (MOCERT), Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.
A Tinton Falls police officer responded to the sound of a single gunshot in the area of William Street at about 1:27 p.m. As the officer proceeded into nearby Hance Park to investigate further, he was approached by the intended victims of an attempted burglary at their Peach Street residence, the prosecutor said.
The intended victims reported that as they confronted the two burglars, one of the men pulled out a handgun and fired a single shot into the air.
Gramiccioni said Alix Eugene, 20, of Eatontown, was located nearby and arrested. He said a second suspect, Omari Key, 18, was believed to have fled to his apartment at Spring Terrace in Freehold Borough.
Officers from the Freehold Borough Police Department responded to Key’s apartment and determined Key was inside, but he refused to surrender, according to the prosecutor.
Freehold Borough police secured the area and requested assistance from MOCERT. Following a two-hour standoff, Key was convinced to exit the residence and was apprehended without incident, Gramiccioni said.
The single gunshot that was fired in Tinton Falls prompted a brief “shelter in place” warning for Brookdale Community College, Middletown, out of an abundance of caution while police sorted out the situation, he said.
Gramiccioni said Key and Eugene have each been charged with conspiracy to commit armed burglary, attempted armed burglary, possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon.
Key was also charged with hindering apprehension by suppressing and concealing evidence and aggravated assault by pointing a firearm, according to the prosecutor’s office.