HATE INCIDENTS: Anti-gay intimidation | This week saw a newly reported, hate-related incident in Chelsea. A man reported that, at around 5pm on Sat., Dec. 10, he was walking at the northeast corner of W. 34th St. and 10th Ave. with his boyfriend, attempting to hail a taxi. A taxi pulled up, and shouted to him “I have my lights off, you stupid f*ggot,” and then drove away up 10th Ave. Though no arrests have been made, the victim was able to recall the driver’s taxi medallion number, and filed a complaint with the Taxi and Limousine Commission as well as the police.
CRIMINAL TRESPASS: Caught with crack | Usually, people can tell when they aren’t welcome — but for one woman, not even legal documentation could get the message across. At 3:20am on Fri., Dec. 9, an officer observed her enter the Elliott-Chelsea Houses (415 W. 25th St., btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.), a NYCHA property, and remain there unlawfully without permission or authority to do so. Upon approaching the woman, the officer discovered that the 39-year-old already had a felony arrest for trespassing in the exact same location — and had a notice prohibiting her presence on the property to prove it. “I wanted to say hello to a friend,” the woman explained to the officer. Certainly one of the two metal pipes (containing crack cocaine residue) she was carrying could have been for her alleged acquaintance — though this potential act of generosity went unappreciated by the officer who arrested her.
HARASSMENT: Fisticuffs for fare | While this column usually reports on cabbies receiving abuse from frustrating fares, this week provides a rare instance of driver-on-driver abuse. On Thurs., Dec. 8, two drivers engaged in a verbal dispute about who would be the one to pick up a particular customer outside of Marquee (289 10th Ave., btw. W. 26th & W. 27th Sts.) at around 5am. The argument escalated, and one of the drivers pushed the other, a 47-year-old upstate New York woman, causing annoyance and alarm, and pain when her fingers got snagged on her watch. Though she reported the altercation, no arrest was made.
PETIT LARCENY: Robbed by job | While many complain about dead-end jobs robbing them of nebulous concepts like “time” or “happiness,” one 26-year-old W. 27th St resident (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) was just plain robbed by a potential employer earlier this month. On Sat., Dec. 3, the man responded to an ad for online work listed on hubstaff.com, which was answered in the affirmative. The would-be bosses sent the man a cashier’s check for $3,780, which they said should be used to buy supplies for the job. They also, however, asked him to wire over $1,000 of the check to a woman who lives in New Jersey. He obliged, and sent the grand over her via MoneyGram. Only after successfully doing so did his bank inform him that the check he deposited was fraudulent, and he realized he had just been swindled. He reported the incident on Sat., Dec. 10.
PETIT LARCENY: Fauxpartment | While at her workplace on the 400 block of W. 34th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.), a 26-year-old Bronx woman contacted an individual on Craigslist who had posted a vacant apartment on Mon., Dec. 5 — unwittingly falling for one of the oldest tricks in the book. While she did not see or tour the apartment herself, she nonetheless sent a money order of $500 over to the online seller to secure the place. A bit later, she deduced that the entire thing was a scam, after checking with a fraud-detecting website which matched the phone number the seller provided to one known to have been involved with scams in the past. Indeed, there was never any apartment, and the check was cashed on Thurs., Dec. 8; she reported the crime on Sat., Dec. 10.
CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA: THC trio | At about 5:25am on Sat., Dec. 10 an officer witnessed three individuals smoking a lit marijuana cigarette on the northeast corner of Ninth Ave. and W. 16th St. Upon further investigation he found additional quantities of alleged marijuana on the trio — a 22-year-old Manhattan woman, a 22-year-old Staten Island man, and a 23-year-old Queens man. The entire blazed, inter-borough crew was brought to the big house.
—SEAN EGAN
THE 10th PRECINCT: Located at 230 W. 20th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.). Commander: Capt. Paul Lanot. 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: 212-924-3377. Detective Squad: 212-741-8245. The Community Council meets on the last Wed. of the month, 7pm, at the 10th Precinct or other locations to be announced.
MIDTOWN SOUTH PRECINCT: Located at 357 W. 35th St. (btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Inspector: Russel J. Green. Call 212-239-9811. Community Affairs: 212-239-9846. Crime Prevention: 212-239-9846. Domestic Violence: 212-239-9863. Youth Officer: 212-239-9817. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-239-9836. Detective Squad: 212-239-9856. The Community Council meets on the third Thurs. of the month, 7pm, at the New Yorker Hotel (481 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 34th & W. 35th St.). Visit midtownsouthcc.org.
THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Brendan Timoney. Call 212-477-7411. Community Affairs: 212-477-7427. Crime Prevention: 212-477-7427. Domestic Violence: 212-477-3863. Youth Officer: 212-477-7411. Auxiliary Coordinator: 212-477-4380. Detective Squad: 212-477-7444. The Community Council meets on the third Tues. of the month, 6:30pm, at the 13th Precinct.
CASH FOR GUNS | $100 cash will be given (no questions asked) for each handgun, assault weapon or sawed-off shotgun, up to a maximum payment of $300. Guns are accepted at any Police Precinct, PSA or Transit District.
