GRAND LARCENY PATTERN: Police pursue purse-pilfering perp | A recent rash of purse thefts have left the NYPD looking for community assistance in catching the criminal responsible, who has managed to make off with 10 stolen purses and handbags over the course of the past month; nine of which took place between W. 39th and W. 45th Sts. — all in the 12pm to 2pm period, with females as the targeted victims. In the most recently documented incident, on Thurs., June 30, the man took a black handbag from a 73-year-old woman (one of four victims over 60) on the 200 block of W. 42nd St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.), which contained a camera and other miscellaneous items. In a June 19 incident, a 67-year-old woman lost cash, credit cards, an EZ Pass, her license, and keys when she encountered the purse snatcher on W. 43rd St. (btw. Sixth & Seventh Aves.). The perp was last seen wearing a white pocket hat, a plaid collared shirt, tan slacks, brown loafers, and glasses. Police ask anyone with information to reach out to the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS or nypdcrimestoppers.com.
ASSAULT/HARASSMENT: Personal pandemonium pizza | The mayhem in the early morning hours of Sat., July 2, at an Artichoke Pizza (114 10th Ave., at W. 17th St.) ended with a few punches thrown, a couple full-pie casualties, and the potential for some patrons to be seeing the inside of a brick-oven prison. For an inauspicious start, at about 5am, a 25-year-old Brooklyn man was punched by an unknown male just outside the pizzeria, who then fled on foot. The man sustained an injury to his ear, and was transferred to Lennox Hill Healthplex. A short while later, at 5:30am, a 24-year-old Brooklyn man was causing a disturbance at the restaurant, arguing with Artichoke security and knocking over pizza. This resulted in a dispute with a 28-year-old Staten Island resident, who pleaded with him to “go home.” This request fell on deaf ears, however, and the Staten Islander punched the obnoxious Brooklynite with a closed fist — an offense for which he was quickly arrested. At around 6am, likely still worked up over the punches thrown his way, the Brooklynite (with a 22-year-old friend) pushed a box of fresh pizza out of an unsuspecting 25-year-old Long Beach resident’s hands. The establishment was able to identify these rabble-rousers, as they had been known to cause trouble and harass customers there in the past —but the two were not arrested. Artichoke management can rest easy, however, knowing that while not their finest hour, their customer service experience was still about on par with any given visit to a Papa John’s.
HARASSMENT: Freaking out at the Joneses | On the morning of Fri., July 1, a man discovered that one of his neighbors at his apartment building on the 100 block of Seventh Ave. (btw. W. 18th & W. 19th Sts.), was more Red Forman than Fred Rogers. At 8am, as the man was exiting his building to walk to the subway, an unknown building resident shouted “I’m gonna kick your a**,” behind him. Providing more nuance and context as to his intentions, he elaborated, “I’m going to kick my foot up your a**.” Fearing for his safety, the man reported the incident to police, who did not arrest anyone in connection to the posterior-focused threats.
PETIT LARCENY: Ricky’s with the good hair | Perhaps someone should have let this thief know people value salon quality, not salon quantity, when it comes to home hair care treatment. He proudly displayed this lack of understanding on Thurs., June 30, when a 22-year-old employee of Ricky’s (142 Eighth Ave., at W. 17th St.) reported that at around 6:45pm she saw the individual remove 14 bottles of It’s A 10 Miracle Daily Conditioner, place them into a black bag, and then proceed to leave the store without paying. This wholesale theft of the pricey product cost the store $275 — though video cameras of the incident are available on the scene.
PETIT LARCENY: Delinquent didn’t dine, but dashed from Dish | While Dish (201 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 20th & W. 21st Sts.) experienced an unfortunate theft this past weekend, the restaurant can take solace in the fact that it has singlehandedly justified “for customer use only” policies across eateries nationwide. At 11:40pm on the evening of Sat., July 2, an unknown individual entered the establishment, and asked to use the restroom. After this sojourn, the small-bladdered baddie then pretended to peruse the options on the menu, until he was left unattended by staff busy helping customers. That’s when he saw the opportunity to open the register, snag a cool $800, and leave before anyone was the wiser.
—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. They are on hiatus until Sept. 28.
THE 13th PRECINCT: Located at 230 E. 21st St. (btw. Second & Third Aves.). Deputy Inspector: Brendan Timony. 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. They are on hiatus until Sept. 20.
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.
