Hempstead traffic stop leads to drug, weapons charges, cops say

Two men pulled over for a traffic infraction in Hempstead ended up in jail on marijuana and gun charges Tuesday, Nassau police said.

Hempstead Village police stopped a Nissan on Hilton Avenue after its driver, Nyshaun Murray, 22, committed a traffic infraction about 12:30 a.m., Nassau police said. Police did not say what the infraction was.

Inside the car, Murray and passenger Kquamel Jones, 18, had a loaded .9 mm handgun and what appeared to be marijuana in a plastic container, a plastic baggie and another clear bag, police said. The gun was stolen, police said.

Murray, of Washington Street in Hempstead, and Jones, of Tower Court in Uniondale, were arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, including failure to register a firearm, criminal possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Murray was also charged with several vehicle and traffic infractions, while Jones was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.

Online court records show Murray was held on $75,000 bail and Jones held on $50,000 bail. Murray was represented by Legal Aid, which has a policy of not commenting in the early stages of a case. It was not immediately known if Jones had an attorney.