Smoking weed, drinking sizzurp and lots of guns, Union cops say

UNION TOWNSHIP (Union) — Township police say they pulled over a car for having tinted windows and discovered a lot more than a mere traffic violation. A lot more.

For starters, police said they smelled marijuana inside the car. Police then noticed that the four men inside were drinking a concoction of prescription cough syrup and soda — sometimes known as sizzurp or purple drank.

And then, police said, they found a stash of handguns.

Three men from Essex County were arrested while a fourth made a getaway on foot.

The two cops in an unmarked car on Springfield Avenue made the stop Dec. 11 at 8:42 p.m.

They started arresting the men after finding a Highpoint .45-caliber gun in the vehicle.

Searching more, they found marijuana and promethazine and two more loaded weapons — a Smith & Wesson .380 handgun and a Ruger .45 caliber handgun

Police said they also found four stolen credit cards on one of the passengers.

And they found ski masks and latex gloves in the car.

One of the passengers — Isaiah Gavin, 20, of Maplewood — had warrants for his arrest out of East Orange, Irvington and Newark.

The driver, Bilal Patterson, 25, of Maplewood, Daquan Berger, 26, of Newark, and Gavin were charged with weapons and drugs possessions. They were being held at Union County Jail awaiting a detention hearing.

The passenger who ran away did so after giving police his name — Kenneth Newton, 22. Police say he has addresses in Maplewood and Newark.

Police said they were trying to trace the guns and to see if the suspects can be tied to any recent armed robberies.