Police responding to reports of shots fired near a Lower East Side school Wednesday afternoon arrested two teens for keeping a cache of weapons in a nearby apartment, a source told NBC 4 New York.
Cops arrested the two teenagers, ages 14 and 15, on weapons charges for a stash that included a blow-dart gun, knives, nunchuks, and a some sort of rifle, the source said.
Police discovered the weapons while checking a Henry Street apartment after shots were fired outside P.S. 2 on Henry Street shortly before 1 p.m., the source said.
A school custodian was struck with a pellet as he was taking out the garbage, the source said.
During the investigation, police went to a nearby apartment on Henry Street and knocked on a second-floor door.
The two teens refused to open the door at first, but then agreed, the source said. Police saw what appeared to be a rifle on the coffee table of the apartment.
Nearby residents and those who work in the neighborhood said the arrests make them nervous, especially after learning that a custodian was hurt.
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"It's more than just a prank," said Betty Cepero, a teacher at P.S. 2.
Cepero said she has noticed pellet marks on her car in recent weeks. She also said the school has a cracked window from other shots fired.
The windows of a nearby Jewish school, the Mesivta Tifereth Jerusalem School, have been shot out in recent weeks, as were car windows, the source said.
Investigators are now looking to see if the teens are responsible.
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