U.S. roundup of fugitives nets 84 in Camden

It was a drug deal gone bad, authorities said.

A man tried to rip off Justin Parrott, 19, during the deal, causing Parrott to pull out a gun, shoot at him twice, and chase him, authorities said. Parrott then pistol-whipped the man and bit his ear "almost completely off," according to a report on the March 3 incident in Deptford.

The U.S. Marshals Service, which filed the report, took the case after Deptford police asked for assistance in finding Parrott. The marshals discovered him in Virginia.

Parrott, who was charged with aggravated assault and other crimes, was one of nearly 220 people arrested in connection with violent crimes in New Jersey as part of a six-week operation led by the U.S. marshals.

Of that total, 84 people - alleged drug dealers, killers, gang members, and sex offenders - were arrested in Camden.

The operation, between March 2 and April 10, focused on taking down fugitives in seven cities, including Camden, and their surrounding towns. Other cities included Atlanta and Oakland, Calif. The Marshals Service runs the operations two to three times a year in different cities.

At Antioch Baptist Church in Camden on Thursday, authorities announced the results of the most recent operation, which they said captured 7,127 fugitives nationwide.

"We put an immediate end to their unlawful actions," said Stacia Hylton, director of the Marshals Service.

She and New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman credited the Camden County Police Department for working with state and federal authorities to cut crime in the city. The groups meet in Camden each morning to share intelligence and discuss ongoing cases, Fishman said.

Camden County Police Chief Scott Thomson acknowledged the help of federal authorities in helping cut homicides from the record 67 in 2012 to 33 last year.

"We do know that [by] removing that very, very small percentage of people that are committing the majority of the violent crime, you can start to change the dynamics of neighborhoods," Thomson said. "And that's something we've been doing here in the city over the last couple years, and hence you see the results in shootings and homicides being cut in half. That's not by happenstance."

Fishman sees Camden as having a lot to offer. "There are some extraordinary things going on in this city," Fishman said. Added Hylton: "We look at Camden now as the epicenter for community revitalization."

Thomson also said his department had worked with pastors and other community members to make the city safer. The Rev. John Parker, pastor at Antioch, said he had met with Thomson to find troubled parts of the city so he could organize prayers there.

"I think we did a great thing by unifying ourselves," he said, lauding the police outreach.