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Police: Officers Find Gun During Struggle With Suspect In Harlem

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police this week arrested a suspect in Harlem, who was allegedly caught with a gun when officers approached him for smoking a cigarette inside the lobby of a building.

Around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, someone called 911 about a disorderly group in front of the building at 60 St. Nicholas Ave., near 113th Street, police said.

Responding officers found a group of people in front of the building, and several of them dispersed, but several more went inside, police said.

The officers walked into the lobby and found a man smoking a cigarette, police said. They asked what he was doing inside the building and said smoking was not allowed, police said.

The suspect put out the cigarette and was about to run off when the officer grabbed his arm, police said. A struggle ensured, and during the struggle, the officer felt a hard object in the suspect's front waistband, police said.

The suspect started to reach for the object, and he and the officer fell to the ground. The hard item, which turned out to be a gun, fell to the floor under the suspect's abdomen, police said.

The other responding officer reached under the suspect and took the loaded Rohm Gesellschaft .38-caliber firearm, police said. The suspect was arrested.

Thomas Green, 22, of Harlem, was charged with criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly having a loaded gun, criminal trespass with possession of a firearm and ammunition, and resisting arrest, police said.

Police said the gun had four bullets inside.

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