Stairwell sex assault
Cops said a young woman walking on Christopher St. late at night on Fri., Dec. 16, was sexually assaulted at knifepoint. According to police, around 11 p.m., a stranger grabbed the victim, 26, from behind, then took her down into a stairwell at 85 Christopher St. where he first exposed himself, then sexually assaulted her.
Police issued a “Level One” mobilization, in which all officers in the area are called on to search for the suspect, but no arrest was made. The investigation is ongoing.
The woman was treated at an area hospital. Police did not have more information on the nature of the sexual assault. She was not robbed.
The suspect is described as around 6 feet tall and in his 20s.
Houston Hall hurt
Police said a bouncer at Houston Hall, at 222 W. Houston St., was injured Fri., Dec. 16, around 11:30 p.m., while escorting a patron out of the beer garden. The customer reportedly became irate, picked up a glass candle cup and flung it at the bouncer, striking his right hand and lacerating it. The security guy would need multiple stitches to close the gash.
When police arrived, the unruly reveler flailed his arms to resist arrest. Pedro Santana, 49, was charged with felony assault.
No clean getaway
Police said a man stole a lot of shampoo from the Ricky’s at 44 E. Eighth St. on Fri., Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m. A store security guard told police that he saw a man remove Biosilk Silk Therapy shampoo from the shelves and place them in his bag. The employee tried to stop the shampoo swiper from leaving, but the alleged shoplifter resisted, and during the scuffle the employee’s hands and knuckles were lacerated. The man also allegedly damaged security towers in the store.
Police arrested Andrew Acevedo, 44, for felony robbery.
Wild West 4th
A man was packing a black .30-caliber gun on the subway platform at Sixth Ave. and W. Fourth St. on Tues., Dec. 13, around 1 p.m., according to police. An officer who uncovered the gun arrested the man, but not before the fellow reportedly kicked, punched and flared his arms in an effort to avoided being handcuffed.
Montel Hooks, 19, was arrested for felony criminal possession of a weapon. It wasn’t immediately clear how police spotted the firearm.
A fare from heel
A hack asked a woman to get out of his cab in front of 240 W. 14th St. early last Fri., Dec. 16, but she wouldn’t go, according to a report. The cabbie called police for help at 2:15 a.m., but the woman still refused to get out, plus then got violent. She reportedly struck a police officer with her high heel in his left knee, “causing redness, swelling, pain and discomfort.”
As the officer tried to slap the cuffs on her, she flailed her arms and refused to put her hands behind her back. Jane Doe, 23, was busted for felony assault.
On the case…
Carolyn Ratcliffe, chairperson of Community Board 3’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Subcommittee, posted on Facebook on Tues., Dec. 20, that she was exiting a cab at 4 a.m. at E. Ninth St. and Avenue B, and the driver was getting her stuff out of the trunk, when a car zipped by very fast and the cabbie angrily swatted it with his hand. The other driver promptly hopped out and attacked the hack, then tried to take Ratcliffe’s suitcase and cell phone as she called 911.
Amid the chaos, two passing opportunists snatched the East Village activist’s backpack, containing her laptop “and a ton of other stuff,” from the trunk.
The perp pair must be local, Ratcliffe said, for they used her credit cards at NY Grill & Deli, at 208 Rivington St., two-and-a-half hours later, and Lot-Less Closeouts, on Clinton St., at 9 a.m., before later trying to purchase online from Walmart. They also used three of her credit cards within Lower Manhattan’s 10004 zip code to buy eight new monthly unlimited MetroCards at $117.50 a pop.
“We obtained the video from Father Pat’s surveillance camera that shows the two culprits, a man and a woman,” Ratcliffe said. “The videos were sent to the detective on the case. She will obtain images of whoever used my credit cards from the M.T.A. Apple was sent a subpoena, so that if they go online on the computer, it can be tracked and the precinct notified immediately.”
The duo are wanted for grand larceny.
Emily Siegel
and Lincoln Anderson
