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Police: Gun, Drugs Found During Bust For Open Beer Bottle In Murray Hill

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- NYPD officers early Saturday allegedly found a gun on in man's pocket, and drugs in a bag he threw away, when they busted him with an open bottle of beer on the street in Murray Hill, police said.

Officers Christopher Neil and Michael Papparlardo of the 17th Precinct were patrolling in a marked squad car at 12:53 a.m., when they saw a 51-year-old man standing near Second Avenue and 38th Street with an open bottle of Corona in his hand, police said. A 32-year-old man was with him, police said.

The officers got out of the squad car and came up to the men, at which point they saw the older man throw a bag underneath a van parked nearby, police said.

Officer Neil caught up to the 51-year-old man and stopped him, while Papparlardo confronted the 32-year-old man, police said.

As Neil began to speak, he saw the older man try to reach into his pants pocket, police said. Neil prevented the man from doing so, and found that the man was carrying a .22-caliber Derringer, police said.

While the 51-year-old man was being arrested, the younger man tried to interfere and ended up being arrested too, police said.

Neil then got the bag from under the van and found 21 smaller bags of cocaine, 10 bags of crack cocaine, and dozens of pharmaceutical pills, police said.

The older man – Mark Nickay of Casselberry, Florida, was charged with criminal possession of a loaded firearm and a controlled substance, and an carrying open alcoholic beverage container, police said.

The following suspects were arrested in regard to this incident:

The younger man, Leonard Ndue of Chester, Orange County, was charged with obstruction of governmental administration and resisting arrest, police said.

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