An Atlantic City man was arrested after a city couple was robbed at gunpoint Friday morning, police said. The gun was apparently a toy.
The couple, ages 33 and 36, were robbed about 4:30 a.m. at California and Fairmount avenues, Sgt. Monica McMenamin said. They gave Officer Michael Oldroyd a description of the man they said pointed a dark handgun at them, demanding their money and cellphones.
The suspect had ripped at their clothing but ran when he apparently saw someone watching from a nearby window, according to the report.
The victims said the suspect had thrown something in a nearby trash can, where Oldroyd found a plastic toy gun.
While checking the area, the officer also located a man matching the suspect’s description.
After the couple positively identified him, Michael Horton, 20, was arrested.
Horton is charged with armed robbery, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and aggravated assault with a weapon. He is housed in the Atlantic County jail on $75,000 bail.
The incident allegedly involving Horton was the second armed robbery reported overnight, McMenamin said.
The first report came in at 12:30 a.m. on the 100 block of North Georgia Avenue.
The victim in that case was walking into his home when he was called from behind. As he turned to see who had called him, a male pointed a large black handgun at him and ordered him into an alley, according to the report. The victim was robbed of cash and his cellphone.
The suspect’s description matched that of the suspect from the second robbery, but no one has been charged in that crime.
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Detective Albert Herbert is the lead investigator on the unsolved armed robbery and can be contacted at 609-347-5766. Information can be called in anonymously to Atlantic County Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234.
