Club gunshot
A shot fired by an unknown person in Crobar, the club at 538 W. 28th St., at 10:20 p.m. Thurs. July 13, hit two women patrons, police said. The victims, Antoinette Bryan, 39, and her friend Angelita Dunkley, 35, didn’t know they were shot until they were getting ready to leave and noticed they were bleeding.
A single .22-caliber shot, which the women said sounded like a pop, hit Bryan, passed through her left calf and then lodged in Dunkley’s right thigh while they were drinking near the bar area, police said. They were taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, treated and released the following day. There were no arrests.
The club, the largest in the West Chelsea area, with a capacity of more than 3,000 patrons, has been the scene of several arrests this year and has been cited for more than 30 violations in 2006.
The State Liquor Authority on Friday put Crobar on notice that “upon receipt and review of official police reports the [authority] stands ready to take appropriate action in the matter of Crobar.” The action could include summary suspension of the club’s liquor license, according to the S.L.A. chief executive officer, Joshua Toas.
Bust big drug ring
Police conducted a sting operation on Fri. July 14 when they arrested Tommy Wu, 36, at 3 a.m. at W. 15th St. and Ninth Ave. where he was charged with delivering crystal meth to an undercover officer. Immediately after the arrest, police raided the two-room W. 56th St. apartment that Wu shared with his brother, Jimmy, 34, and sister, Sui, 48, and seized an undisclosed amount of drugs, including marijuana, and $1 million in cash.
Jimmy and Sui Wu were also charged with drug offenses, and all three were arraigned and held without bail pending a July 17 court date.
More murder charges
Stephen Sakai, the bouncer charged with the May 23 shooting outside a Chelsea club in which three patrons were injured and one was killed, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty on July 14 in Brooklyn to three previous murders.
The Brooklyn charges included the stabbing death of Wayne Tyson, 56, found in his apartment last September, the Nov. 16, 2005, shooting death of Irving Matos and the Nov. 28, 2005, shooting death of Edwin Mojica. The three victims were said to be bouncer associates of Sakai.
Sakai was working at Opus 22 at 559 W. 22nd St. on May 23 when he had an argument with a patron, Ian Davis. Sakai followed Davis and his friends outside and began a shooting spree with an unregistered handgun, the indictment said. Davis was shot in the groin. Julian Andres Cuadros was shot in the neck and his brother, Gustavo Cuadros, was shot dead. The fourth victim, Yeison Correa, was shot in the back while fleeing the scene, according to the charges.
Sakai, of 71 Nostrand Ave., Brooklyn, pleaded not guilty on July 12 to the Chelsea murder and attempted-murder charges and is being held without bail pending a Sept. 7 court date.
Little Italy vandals
Vandals bent two cast-iron flagpoles and stole the flags from the front of the Most Prescious Blood rectory at 109 Mulberry St., on the night of July 15, police said. The church, at 113 Baxter St. and the rectory have often been the target of vandals and thieves. On Christmas Eve last year, a thief stole money from the poor box in front of the altar, and the following day a thief made off with the figure of Jesus from the Nativity scene at the rectory. The Baby Jesus figure was also stolen from the Nativity scene on Jan. 6, 2004.
Albert Amateau
