Drunk driving arrest leads to recovery of a stolen gun during NJ traffic stop

🔴 High-speed chase in Gloucester County

🔴 Police charged the driver with DWI

🔴 They found a gun inside the stolen car

FRANKLIN (Gloucester) —  Police recovered a gun stolen in South Carolina during a traffic stop early Sunday morning.

Township officers followed a vehicle clocked at over 100 mph around 2:15 a.m. on Aug. 31 near Harding Highway and Main Road.

Police tried to stop the car, but the driver fled west on Harding Highway. A short time later, an officer saw the vehicle pull into the parking lot of the Little Ease Tavern on Delsea Drive and park in the back of the restaurant.

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When officers approached the car, they said the driver, Xzavion Rodriguez, 22, of Vineland, showed signs of being impaired. He was removed from the vehicle for a sobriety test.

Rodriguez was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving. During his arrest, the car passenger, Ethan Stickle, 24, of Vineland, tried to escape, but was also arrested.

Inside the car, police found a handgun that contained a large capacity magazine.

The handgun was found to be reported stolen out of Richland County, South Carolina.

Rodriguez was charged with eluding, driving while intoxicated, and numerous other motor vehicle violations. He was released pending a court date.

Stickle was charged with unlawful possession of a handgun, possession of a large-capacity magazine, and receiving stolen property. He is lodged in the Salem County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

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