Police recovered three illegal handguns, one that had been reported stolen, one rifle

Nineteen people were arrested Saturday after police received two 911 calls in Hempstead. One of the 911 calls reported a robbery just after 1 a.m. near Meriam Street, and the other reported a person being forcibly dragged into a house on Meriam Street. Police recovered three illegal handguns, one that had been reported stolen, one rifle and one clear bag which contained a substance believed to be crack cocaine at the address. All nineteen people, thirteen men and six women, in the house at the time were arrested. They were all charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and will be arraigned in First District Court on Sunday. The investigation is ongoing.