Two Brooklyn men were arrested in New Hyde Park after a loaded handgun was found on the floor of their vehicle on Saturday, the Nassau County Police Department said.
Officials said 3rd Precinct officers responded to a car accident in which a vehicle slid off the road and hit a tree at the corner of Jericho Turnpike and Covert Avenue at 2:40 a.m. on Saturday.
The two people in the accident were 24-year-old Joshua Shawn Lozada, who was driving the car, and 39-year-old Melvin Cardines Jr., according to officials. Lozada and Cardines live at 3415 Neptune Ave. in Brooklyn, officials said.
The two did not suffer any injuries from the crash and remained at the scene until a tow truck came and transported the car to Grand Auto Body in New Hyde Park, according to a Police Department news release. Officials said the tow truck driver, after taking the car to the auto body shop, noticed a handgun on the passenger side floor and called the police.
Lozada and Cardines waited for a taxi at the scene of the crash as police arrived at the auto body shop and secured the loaded handgun, the news release said. Officials said police went to the scene of the crash and attempted to place both men under arrest.
Cardines was arrested without incident, while Lozada resisted arrest before police detained him, according to the release. Lozada was then found to be in possession of an additional loaded handgun along with an undisclosed quantity of marijuana, officials said.
As his arrest was being processed by police, officials said, Lozada attempted to hit a detective and later whipped his head backward, hitting an officer in the head, resulting in a nose bleed and contusion. Officials did not give any update on the injured officer.
Cardines was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree along with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, officials said. Lozada was charged with two counts of assault in the second degree, unlawful possession of marijuana, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, three counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, and resisting arrest, according to the news release.
Both men were arraigned in Mineola on Saturday, but efforts to reach law enforcement officials for more information were unavailing.
