Four Arrested by Cortland Police After Incident Involving a Handgun & Knives in City

Cortland Police say four individuals have been arrested following an incident that took place early Friday afternoon, April 18th. CPD responded to 8 Union Street just after 1 in the afternoon following a report of a silver vehicle with an occupant inside pointing a gun out of the window.

As police were responding to the scene, additional information came in through dispatch that informed officers of a disturbance that had occurred involving the same vehicle with four occupants inside. Arriving on scene, police did not find an active disturbance or the suspect vehicle.

Officers collected information from witnesses that the suspect’s vehicle had fled toward Owego Street from Union Street. CPD canvassed the area and interviewed additional witnesses, including the victims who reported being confronted by the group earlier.

The victims told officers they were originally confronted verbally on Main Street by those inside the vehicle. The same group then returned to the victims in the same vehicle with the confrontation escalating, Cortland Police say.

Cortland Police say the victims then told them the four individuals then exited the car with the driver, identified as 25 year old Michael V. Reyna, being armed with a handgun; Reyna then threatened several people. Another suspect in the vehicle, identified as 23 year old Elizabeth Glover, exited the vehicle and brandished a knife and held it to one of the victims’ stomach and threatened another subject with the knife.

The two other suspects inside the vehicle were identified as 19 year old Mason A. Aleba and 18 year old Robert N. Petit. Cortland Police say Petit was also seen in possession of a firearm and Aleba in possession of a knife during the incident.

Officers searched the area after collecting information from the victims and witnesses with police locating the vehicle at 38 Owego Street. All four suspects were detained at the address.

Both witnesses and the victims positively identified all four suspects in a show-up by Cortland Police. All four were then arrested. A search of Reyna’s vehicle found a black Sig Sauer-style BB gun that matched the description of the weapon from the incident; knives were also located from Petit’s vehicle.

All four were charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 4th, Menacing in the 2nd, both Misdemeanors, and Harassment in the 2nd, a Violation.