A 24-year-old Atlantic City man has pleaded guilty to his role in a shootout that erupted near Pennsylvania and Adriatic avenues back in February, admitting he opened fire on a passing vehicle whose occupants shot back at him. Kasean Griffin now faces a recommended six-year state prison sentence, plus a separate five-year term tied to a firearm charge, with sentencing set for October.
Griffin entered his guilty plea Monday, according to WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM, admitting to second-degree aggravated assault stemming from the February 16 incident. Atlantic City police were called to the area near Pennsylvania and Adriatic avenues that day after reports of a shooting, and the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office has described what unfolded as a shootout. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Griffin firing at a passing car while the people inside fired back at him.
Remarkably, no one is believed to have been struck by gunfire, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office. Officers tracked Griffin to a nearby residence after the exchange, where a search turned up two firearms loaded with hollow-point and ball-point ammunition, per the same account. The identities of the people in the passing vehicle have not been made public.
What Griffin Is Facing at Sentencing
Under the plea deal, Griffin faces a recommended six-year sentence in New Jersey State Prison, along with a separate five-year term for second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose. He also faces a 42-month period of parole ineligibility. The Press of Atlantic City similarly confirmed that an Atlantic City man pleaded guilty after exchanging gunfire with a passing vehicle in February. Sentencing is scheduled for October, though the exact date has not been confirmed.
A Familiar Pattern in Atlantic City Gun Cases
Griffin's case follows a similar path taken by another defendant in an unrelated Atlantic City shooting. Carlos Medina-Morales, a 25-year-old Philadelphia man, was sentenced on September 8 to four years in New Jersey State Prison under the No Early Release Act, according to Shore Local News. Medina-Morales had pleaded guilty in June to second-degree aggravated assault tied to a July 2024 shooting in the city, and he will serve three years of parole supervision once released.
That earlier case involved gunfire aimed at the Cinco de Mayo bar and restaurant, where one of the rounds struck a bystander standing on the corner as Medina-Morales fled the scene. Griffin's shootout, by contrast, is not believed to have injured anyone. Still, both cases underscore how quickly street-level gunfire in Atlantic City can lead to years-long prison exposure under state sentencing guidelines.
