Alleged member of Pagan’s Motorcycle Club arrested on attempted-homicide charges in South Jersey

An alleged member of an outlaw motorcycle gang was arrested on attempted-murder charges late Saturday in Gloucester County following an hours-long manhunt that prompted officials to ask residents to stay at home.

The suspect, Michael F. Dorazo, 41, of Glendora in Camden County, had been released from federal prison in December, supposedly to home confinement, to await a trial stemming from a federal firearms charge, court records show.

Authorities on Sunday said Dorazo forced his way into a Deptford Township residence about noon Saturday. Police responding to reports of a domestic disturbance heard gunshots as they approached the home. When they arrived, Dorazo had fled, and authorities learned he was armed with two handguns and a “high-power, high-capacity” assault weapon, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. The victim wasn’t injured.

Deptford Township officials asked residents to “shelter in place” as local, state, and federal law enforcement officers searched for the gunman.

About 9:45 p.m., authorities learned Dorazo had been spotted in the same neighborhood and eventually found him on foot. He initially refused to surrender and “took steps to deploy a handgun toward officers,” according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. A Deptford Township police officer tackled Dorazo, and he was arrested.

Dorazo was charged with attempted murder and related burglary and firearms charges, according to the prosecutor’s office. He was being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility.

“I could not be prouder of personnel under my command,” Deptford Police Chief Frank Newkirk said.

Court records show that Dorazo was charged last year in a federal racketeering case against members of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club, which law enforcement considers a violent gang known to engage in drug and weapons trafficking. The case has yet to go to trial.

The complaint, filed in August in federal court in Newark, N.J., identified Dorazo as a member of the Camden County Pagans and a supplier of methamphetamine.

Federal prosecutors said that, last July, Dorazo gave an associate six firearms to store in his garage. Dorazo had previously been convicted on burglary and drug charges and could not legally own a firearm, according to the complaint.

The associate, identified in court papers as “Victim 1,” contacted law enforcement, which seized the weapons.

The associate, acting at the direction of law enforcement, told Dorazo that he’d sold the Pagans’ firearms for $5,000. The next month, Dorazo’s fellow gang members attacked the associate with an axe handle and demanded to know what he had done with their guns.

They let him go. A couple weeks later, the gang members were arrested. Dorazo was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. In December, he was released from prison and ordered to home confinement, court records show. He signed a form saying he would owe $100,000 if he failed to show up for court.

At Dorazo’s request, a federal judge agreed to modify the bail confinement conditions on May 12, permitting him to leave his house in order to find a job.

A message left with Dorazo’s lawyer wasn’t immediately returned Sunday.

Authorities in Gloucester County are asking any witnesses who may have information about Dorazo to call Sgt. John Petroski of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-498-6238 or Detective Maureen Baney of the Deptford Township Police Department at 856-689-6946.