A Paterson police officer was arrested on multiple charges on Wednesday in Totowa. He was taken into custody without incident by members of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Public Integrity Unit.

Valentin Torres, 33, of Paterson, was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, second-degree conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, and third-degree receiving stolen property.

The charges stem from an August 23 incident at approximately 2:00 a.m. at the Mancora Lounge in Paterson. An investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Public Integrity Unit and police revealed that Torres, who was off duty at the time, conspired with co-defendant Jonathan Cristobal to commit aggravated assault against a victim at the location. According to authorities, Cristobal was in possession of a handgun, which he handed to Torres moments before the assault. Cristobal then punched the victim in the face, knocking out several teeth. During the incident, Torres allegedly held the handgun in his right hand before both men fled the scene.

Torres was stopped by police shortly after the assault and was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence. A subsequent search of the vehicle he was driving led to the recovery of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic handgun that had been reported stolen out of North Carolina.

Cristobal was arrested on September 13 and charged with second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and second-degree certain persons not to possess firearms. He was detained pretrial on the state’s motion on September 18.

If convicted on all counts, Valentin Torres faces a potential total sentence range of 16 to 35 years in New Jersey State Prison.