Gloucester Township road-rage fight ends with police officer's arrival
GLOUCESTER TWP. — A police officer used his voice and showed his service weapon to impose order on four men having a violent face-off during a road-rage incident here.
Other officers then helped arrest the men, including two in possession of guns, according to an account from Gloucester Township police.
It said the men were involved in a minor two-car accident before fighting on Blackwood-Clementon Road near Emerson Drive around 2:10 p.m. Thursday.
The suspects, all Gloucester Township residents, allegedly fought with hands and fists before arming themselves "with objects such as screwdrivers, a long wooden handle and a handgun," the account says.
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A Voorhees police officer, who stopped at the scene, de-escalated the situation and ordered the men to the ground, the account said.
It said the Voorhees officer's "quick, decisive action" averted "a more serious situation where the use of an illegally possessed firearm could’ve ended with deadly consequences."
The account did not identify the officer, who received assistance from a Gloucester Township police detective passing the scene.
Additional officers from Gloucester Township and Voorhees also responded.
Police recovered a handgun and a magazine loaded with hollow-point bullets.
The suspects, who knew one another, suffered minor injuries from the initial confrontation, ranging from bruises, cuts and a possible concussion.
One was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Arrested were Oscar Torres-Montano, 18; Isaiah Santiago and Gavin Molino, both 19; and Emido Mariani, 21.
Santiago was charged with aggravated assault. The others were accused of simple assault.
All were charged with weapons offenses, including illegal possession of a gun for Molino and Mariani.
The charges are only allegations. No one has been convicted in the case.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Four Gloucester Township men charged after road-rage incident
