Bad Santa EMT
She didn’t aid a bartender — she injured her, according to police. An off-duty Fire Department EMT dressed as Santa Claus during last Saturday’s SantaCon bar crawl threw a beer mug at a female bartender at the Village Pourhouse, at 64 Third Ave., around 10:15 p.m., police said.
Robalina Giannella, 30, got into a fight with a barmaid over her bill, the New York Post reported.
“She believed that we overcharged her, and we didn’t,” bar manager James Whitfield told the tab. “And that’s when she got angry.”
Giannella reportedly swept her hand across the bar, sending plastic cups flying, then picked up a glass and beaned the bartender. The glass mug cut the bartender’s nose, according to a police source. The bartender was treated at the scene. Giannella was charged with second-degree assault.
In another assault the same day, around 9 p.m. at 29th St. and Broadway, Thomas Aiello, 25, punched a 23-year-old man in the face, causing him to hit his head on the ground and lose consciousness, according to police. In a video posted by Gothamist, Aiello is shown handcuffed and wearing a Santa hat, while the victim is being loaded into an ambulance. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital for treatment, and Aiello was arrested.
A police spokesperson said this assault was not being classified as a SantaCon-related incident per se, because it was apparently a “domestic dispute” between cousins.
‘Cooping’ Ch’town cop
The Daily News reports that Detective Kenny Chin, 44, a 17-year Police Department veteran who works at the Fifth Precinct, has been placed on desk duty for being involved with two different prostitutes who worked at Chinatown massage parlors. Chin has also been accused of “cooping” — smoking and napping during work hours — in massage parlors with his police partner, according to a source, the News reported. Neither Chin nor his lawyer responded to requests for comment.
“The matter is under internal review,” a police spokesperson said.
Beauty and the thief
On Fri., Dec. 11, around 3 p.m., a speedy shoplifter allegedly swiped 113 containers of L’Oréal beauty products, with a total value of $1,297, from the CVS store at 65 Fifth Ave.
The law caught up with Rodwell Griffith, 52, four days later when police arrested him for felony grand larceny. But the beauty products were gone.
Cheesy robbery
A broom-wielding teen reportedly robbed the West Village Two Boots Pizza on Tues., Dec. 8. Police said the 14-year-old moved quickly, snatching a “container” with some cash before fleeing on foot at about 8 p.m. from the pizza place, at 201 W. 11th St. The commotion caught the attention of nearby police, who chased the teen to a parking garage at 11 Jane St., where he locked himself inside the cashier’s booth, refusing to let the attendant leave.
A police report did not state how long this standoff continued. The teen did not go quietly, refusing to be handcuffed and attempting to escape from police custody, according to the report. He was arrested and charged with felony robbery.
Bad Santa burglar
Santa came early and with criminal intent to 26 Leroy St. on Sat., Dec. 12. Police said that a man dressed as Kris Kringle entered the building by shattering a glass door before heading upstairs and pushing his way into an apartment. A male resident confronted him after hearing the noise and a struggle ensued, according to a police report.
“Gun, I’ll kill you,” threatened the perpetrator, who police said intentionally broke a drinking glass before leaving the apartment. The report did not state if any loot was taken from the apartment. Police responded to the incident and arrested Curtis Moran, 26, for felony burglary. No firearm was found in his possession, police said.
Ahem…bulging pants
Someone walking home from work in the early morning of Tues., Dec. 8, saw a man helping himself to merchandise inside a closed electronics store at 53 Seventh Ave., according to police. The witness alerted police, who responded by about 5:30 a.m.
Police said the shop’s door was ajar when they arrived and they observed Tyre Murphy, 33, stuffing electronic devices into his pants outside the premises. The large bulges made the cops suspicious. They detained Murphy and found 13 items in his trousers. He was arrested for felony burglary.
— Zach Williams and Lincoln Anderson
