OCEAN CITY — A Baltimore man was arrested on first-degree assault charges last weekend after allegedly pointing a handgun at two individuals on a second-story balcony from the sidewalk below.
Around 1:30 a.m. last Saturday, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officers responded to the area of 34th Street for a reported disorderly male and female walking north along Coastal Highway. An OCPD officer turned onto 36th Street and observed a male suspect later identified as Stephon Mack, 24, of Baltimore, on the sidewalk looking up at a couple on a second-floor condo balcony and pointing a handgun at them, according to police reports.
OCPD officers also observed Mack’s female companion standing next to him and yelling at him, according to police reports. The officer requested additional units and exited her police vehicle. Mack put the handgun in his waistband and walked north across the street. The officer ordered Mack to stop, but he kept walking and disappeared from sight between two buildings. The officer observed Mack then run north toward 37th Street, according to police reports.
OCPD officers made contact with Mack’s female companion, who reportedly told police she and Mack had been arguing and she was not sure why he ran. The female reportedly told police she and Mack were staying at hotel at 37th Street, which was the direction in which he ran.
Another OCPD officer observed Mack in the area of the hotel on 37th Street and detained him. The officer reportedly asked Mack where he was coming from, to which he responded he had been sleeping in his hotel room and had just woken up. He reportedly told police his female companion had called him, but he did not know where she was.
Mack was taken into custody at that time. During a search of his person, officers located a plastic bottle containing suspected MDMA, or molly. Officers went back to 36th Street to interview the victims who had the handgun pointed at them by Mack, according to police reports.
The female victim reportedly told police they had heard yelling from the alleyway between 36th and 37th streets. She told police her boyfriend had yelled down to Mack and his female companion to stop yelling at that late hour, at which point Mack pointed the gun at them while they were on the balcony. According to police reports, Mack said “you don’t know who the [expletive deleted] I am,” and “I could kill you right now.”
The male victim corroborated his girlfriend’s version of the incident, according to police reports. OCPD officers determined Mack and his female companion were registered to a room on the fifth floor of the hotel on 37th Street.
Officers searched the fifth-floor hallway for evidence. Behind a plumbing access panel in the hallway, OCPD officers located a balled-up sweatshirt, in which was wrapped a 9mm handgun, according to police reports. Mack’s female companion gave officers consent to search the room, which turned up a wallet containing Mack’s identification and credit cards and a plastic bag containing over 10 grams of marijuana.
Mack was charged with first- and second-degree assault, disorderly conduct, carrying a handgun on his person, the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, controlled dangerous substance possession and reckless endangerment. He was later released on recognizance. A preliminary hearing has been set for June 30.
