Villager photo by Clayton Patterson
‘Ich bin ein Ber-blammer!’
Last month, Lower East Side documentarian Clayton Patterson was in Berlin, where the new documentary movie about him, “Captured,” was screening. Patterson was surprised to see how some Berliners like to celebrate New Year’s — by firing off flare guns.
Key Food murder sentence
James Gonzalez, 43, who pleaded guilty in October to the Feb. 29, 2008, stabbing death of Tina Negron, 24, in the Key Food supermarket on Avenue A at E. Fourth St. where both of them worked, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Gonzalez, who was raised on E. Second St., was the ex-boyfriend of the victim and worked as a maintenance man at the supermarket. He also stabbed and injured Rosheda Andradas, the Key Food bookkeeper, during the attack on Negron.
Village burglary arrest
Sixth Precinct detectives arrested Juan Gonzalez, 39, on Thurs., Jan. 29, in connection with the Jan. 14 burglary of an apartment in the River West condo, 296 W. 10th St. at Washington St. The suspect cased the building on Jan. 13, and the following evening returned and stole several elevator keys from the superintendent’s office, according to the charges filed by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
A short time later, the suspect used one of the keys to enter an apartment and called out, “Is anybody home? Do you have dry cleaning to pick up?” according to the charge. The resident was home, replied, “No,” and the suspect left. The resident, however, called police after learning that the dry cleaner did not send anyone for a pickup, the charge says.
Gonzalez was being held pending a Feb. 4 court appearance on first-degree burglary.
Bash after bump
William Butler, 55, who gave the homeless service center at 333 Bowery as his address, was arrested on Thursday afternoon Jan. 29 and charged with second-degree assault for hitting a stranger in the face with his cane at the corner of Spring and Lafayette Sts., police said. The incident started when the victim bumped into Butler, according to the charge. Butler was being held pending a Feb. 4 court appearance.
Arrest in Soho mugging
A St. Mark’s Place resident was walking on Mercer St. between Spring and Prince Sts. shortly after midnight on Tues., Jan. 27, when one of four men who came from behind grabbed his shoulder bag, police said. The victim held onto the bag during the ensuing tug of war until the suspect ran off. A short time later, police arrested Derick Martin, 17, and charged him with attempted robbery.
‘Don’t try anything’
An Upper West Side resident told police he was walking on the south side of Charlton St. between Sixth Ave. and Varick St. around 7:30 p.m. Fri., Jan. 30, when a man came from behind, shoved him to the pavement and said, “Don’t try anything.” The mugger grabbed the laptop computer that the victim had just bought for $2,558 at the Apple Store on Prince St. and fled on foot to Sixth Ave. down to Vandam St. and ran west, police said.
Laptop cat burglar
A resident of 192 Sixth Ave., between Prince and Spring Sts., left his apartment around 6:45 a.m. Mon., Jan. 26, and returned at 9 p.m. to find that a bedroom window off a fire escape was smashed and his laptop computer and carrying case had been stolen, police said. The victim, 59, told police that the front door, which he had locked when he left, was unlocked when he returned.
Soho lounge theft
An employee of the Cub Room, 131 Sullivan St., discovered his wallet with $280 had been stolen from the employee locker room sometime between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 29, while he was working, police said. Only Cub Room employees were allowed in the locker room, but there was no lock on the door, police said.
Bank job
Ninth Precinct police are seeking the public’s help in finding a man who walked into the Bank of America branch at 770 Broadway around 9:46 a.m. on Mon., Jan. 26, passed a note to a teller demanding cash, and fled on foot south on Broadway with an undetermined sum. The suspect was described as a black man between age 25 and 30, with a medium-to-large build and a trimmed beard and wearing a Boston Red Sox cap, a North Face red-and-gray, quilted parka, black gloves and tan trousers. Phone 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) with information or text CRIMES (274637 and enter TIP577). All tips are confidential.
Seek A.T.M. rustlers
Police are still seeking two men wanted in connection with the theft of automated-teller machines and their cash contents from three Lower East Side locations. The two thieves, described only as Hispanic men, drove their green Dodge Caravan onto the sidewalk, knocked over the A.T.M.’s and loaded the machines into their van and drove off. The A.T.M. from in front of 107 Clinton St. was taken around 5:15 a.m. Dec. 26; the machine in front of 103 Clinton St. was taken at 3:30 a.m. Jan. 7; and 20 minutes later, the A.T.M. in front of 109 Ludlow St. was stolen.
Albert Amateau
