DRIVING WHILE UNDER THE INFLUENCE: Too sleepy to go | An intoxicated man fell asleep in the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle parked near the northeast corner of 10th Ave. and W. 42nd St. Police say they arrested the 31-year-old man at about 3:20 p.m. on Sun., Aug. 9 after observing him in full slumber with the keys in the ignition and the engine running. He was arrested for misdemeanor drunk driving.
CRIMINAL POSSESSION: Too old to hang | An adult was caught using a neighborhood playground without the requisite juvenile accompaniment. The offender was a 34-year-old man purportedly in possession of a controlled substance, police said. There were signs clearly stating that adults could not hang out inside Chelsea Park playground (303 Ninth Ave., btw. W. 27th & W. 28th Sts.) without being in the company of a child. But police observed the man doing exactly that, just before 5 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 7. A background check on the man revealed two open warrants for unstated charges, according to a police report, which added that the man possessed a quantity of an unknown narcotic.
HARASSMENT: Threat to open fire | A man told an on-duty FDNY firefighter that he would shoot him. The threat came in response to a perceived provocation from the 46-year-old fireman, who was in Jenny’s Deli (435 W. 37th St., btw. 9th & 10th Aves.) at 8:30 a.m. on Thurs., Aug. 6. The firefighter reported the incident to police, who noted that a suspect was named in a police report — but thus far, there has been no arrest.
PETIT LARCENY: Stocking up with just minutes to go? | Police say they arrested a 51-year-old Brooklyn man who possessed an understandable motivation to swipe an afternoon snack. Five minutes before 4:20 p.m., the man entered the Whole Foods Super Market at 250 Seventh Ave. (btw. W. 24th & W. 25th Sts.) on Thurs., Aug. 6. A 52-year-old male employee of the store noticed the ever-so-slightly younger man try to leave the premises with $16 worth of sushi and more than enough honey to tackle a sugar rush, valued at $13. The employee stopped the sandal-wearing prospective thief. Police subsequently arrived on-scene and discovered a stash of marijuana in his backpack.
HARASSMENT: One-sided food fight | A 28-year-old woman was walking on the sidewalk, and by all accounts minding her own business, just before 8 p.m. on Wed., Aug. 5. Yet, as she neared the northwest corner of Ninth Ave. and W. 24th St., an unexpected cluster of edible missiles smacked her in the face. Police say that a homeless man threw potato chips at the woman, who sustained no injuries from the salty ambush. Drunkenness spared the 52-year-old perpetrator a trip to the slammer. Emergency medical services instead escorted him to Bellevue Hospital. He was not arrested.
FELONY GRAND LARCENY: No need for the bloodhound | A 39-year-old man got a little grabby with a 30-year-old woman with whom he was sharing a taxi in the early morning of Fri., Aug. 7. The Bronx resident snatched the Brooklyn woman’s iPhone inside the cab near the southeast corner of Eighth Ave. and W. 16th St., police say. He then fled on foot at about 4:20 p.m. He could run, but he reportedly could not hide. Software on the cell phone kept police on his trail. They later found and arrested him for felony grand larceny.
—ZACH WILLAIMS
The 10th PRECINCT: Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Deputy Inspector Michele Irizarry. Main number: 212-741-8211. Community Affairs: 212-741-8226. Crime Prevention: 212-741-8226. Domestic Violence: 212-741-8216. Youth Officer: 212-741-8211. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-741-8210. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m., at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced. The council is on summer break, to resume on Sept. 30.
