Arrest Made in 18th St. Assault
An arrest was made in the assault of a 92-year-old man who was returning to his residence (on the W. 200 block of 18th St.) during the evening of Mon., June 10. The 40-year-old suspect, who lives just blocks from the victim, has been charged with robbery as well as criminal possession of stolen property. The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated for a broken hip. The suspect, who took the victim’s bible and reading glasses, was caught on surveillance video as he fled the crime scene. A link to that video was part of an email alert sent by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, and subsequently forwarded by several Chelsea block associations to their own email lists. A June 15 post on myfoxny.com speculated that as a result of the widely distributed video (which was shown in heavy rotation on NY1, among other media outlets), “the pressure of the situation may have gotten to him. He apparently collapsed during the week and was found by police at Brookdale Hospital on Friday [June 13].” Fox also noted (citing a Daily News report) that an area merchant recovered the victim’s bible and turned it over to police.
Assault: After soccer, hockey-like rumble
How is America ever going to cultivate a love of soccer if our players can’t learn to transfer their violent impulses from the field house to the field? If that had been the case at Chelsea Piers on the evening of Thurs., June 6, then maybe the man on the receiving end of a cowardly two-pronged attack would have seen the first punch coming. The 28-year-old victim told police that he was preparing to leave after “an aggressive soccer game.” That’s when one of the disgruntled players approached him from behind, and punched him in the back of the head. As the victim turned to see his attacker, a second man began punching him in the nose, causing lacerations and swelling.
Grand Larceny: Her come on was a set up
First he got felt up, then he felt used. A 40-year-old Brooklyn man learned the hard way that Manhattan is no place to trust a strange but friendly face while out for a midnight stroll. The middle-aged man learned this valuable life lesson at 12:01am on Mon., June 10 — when he was walking southbound on the west side of Ninth Ave. & W. 38th St. A female approached him and began to fondle his front and rear, asking “Want to buy me a drink?” The man declined, and kept walking. Approximately 30 minutes later, he realized his wallet was missing from his back pocket. The wallet contained no cash, so at least the grabby, gabby gal didn’t turn an immediate profit from her cruel trick. The back pocket billfold did, however, house the man’s New York state ID card and his Social Security card — a virtual starter kit for identity theft.
Grand Larceny: Pool fool and money, soon parted
Left unattended, it only takes a moment for opportunistic thieves to seize the moment and walk away with your belongings. That word to the wise could have saved one stupid swimmer $35 cash, plus the trouble of cancelling his credit cards and replacing his $40 wallet — all of which were taken when the 31-year-old victim left them unattended (for 20 minutes!) on a beach chair by the pool area of the Dream Hotel (355 W. 16th St.). The staff was unable to provide footage of the theft, which took place somewhere between 7pm and 7:20pm on Sun., June 9 — because, according to police, “video surveillance was blocked by cabanas.”
Men of Substance: From Sidewalk to Behind Bars
• At 12:05am on Fri., June 7, uniformed officers of the 10th Precinct observed a 37-year-old male drinking from an open bottle of beer (a 12-ounce Corona) while standing on the northwest corner of Eight Ave. & W. 16th St. The man was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance — but not for the suds. During the course of the investigation, police found a bag of cocaine in the defendant’s wallet, as well as some Percocet pills (elsewhere on his person).
• Two peas in a pod — both male, both 19 years of age — ended up in the pokey, after they were arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance. At around 5:20pm on Sat., June 8, uniformed officers of the 10th Precinct observed the men in possession of marijuana, while standing “on a public sidewalk in public view” (specifically, in the rear of 460 W. 41st St.). One of the men had an open docket (aka, a pending court case), while the other was carrying two credit cards not in his name, along with one Ziplock bag of marijuana.
—Scott Stiffler
