Christie sends NJ state police to Maryland

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Tuesday he is dispatching state police officers to Baltimore, where riots jarred the city Monday.

Christie, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, said on Twitter he is sending 150 New Jersey state troopers and state police staff members to Maryland at the request of Gov. Larry Hogan (R). 

He said 100 will be troopers who will “provide operational support” and 50 will be “enlisted and civilian personnel” who will “provide investigative and logistical support.” They will be on the ground initially for 72 hours.

{mosads}Christie said a team from the New Jersey State Police was already “on the ground in Maryland.”

“And our full deployment of [police] will unfold later today to help ensure a peaceful resolution for the city and people of Baltimore,” he said.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) asked Hogan to activate the National Guard on Monday night, after riots broke out in the afternoon.

State officials said Monday night they were expecting up to 5,000 law enforcement officers to come in from the region to assist them.

Close to 200 people were reportedly arrested after the incidents Monday. Fifteen police officers were injured, officials said.

The violence stemmed from what many say is police mistreatment of minority communities in Baltimore. The riots erupted on the same day as the funeral for Freddie Gray, a black 25-year-old who sustained a fatal spinal injury in police custody earlier this month.