L.E.S. hit and run
Police arrested Shenequa Gayle, 20, after she allegedly ran over an elderly man on the Lower East Side and then fled the scene.
Gayle was driving a 2014 Infiniti Q50 west on Hester St. on Feb. 28 shortly before 7 a.m. when she made a left turn onto Bowery and struck the 63-year-old pedestrian, who was within the crosswalk, police said. The man suffered injuries to his head and hands, and after witnesses reported the incident, paramedics rushed him to Bellevue Hospital where he remains in critical condition, according to police.
After barreling the man over, Gayle reportedly stepped outside her car, took a look at him, and drove away. But a witness was able to snap a photo of her, which he quickly provided to police. An immediate investigation by the Police Department’s Collision Investigation Squad soon revealed that, following the incident, Gayle fled to Brooklyn over the Manhattan Bridge, police said.
Later that day, cops learned that the same Infiniti had been slapped with a parking ticket in Prospect Heights, after which officers there canvassed the area and spotted the car — although they found it was now being driven by a man, Tyrone Morant, 23. Shortly after that, both Gayle and Morant were arrested. Gayle was charged with leaving the scene of an accident, and both were charged with unlicensed operation and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Thwarted robber
An alleged robber was nabbed nine days after he tried to rip off two banks, including one in the West Village. Police said Rodney Griffin, 49, reportedly walked into a Bank of America near the corner of E. 63rd St. and Third Ave. shortly after 11 a.m. on Feb. 18, and passed a note to the teller in which he demanded cash. Moments later he fled empty-handed — but five hours later, Griffin hit a Chase Bank near the corner of W. Fourth and Christopher Sts., and tried the same act, passing a note and demanding cash, according to police. He once again ran away with nothing to show for it, and was able to elude cops until Feb. 27, when he was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree robbery.
Hudson hit again
An unlocked door led to a West Village residential burglary on Feb. 25, police said.
Sometime between 9:20 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. that day, two unidentified men reportedly got inside the 512 Hudson St. apartment and made off with numerous pieces of electronic equipment. The fact that there were no signs of forced entry made it clear to cops that the suspects had been able to enter through an unlocked door.
That incident happened just two doors down from a similar burglary at 516 Hudson St., which took place on Feb. 11. Both buildings are just a block away from the Sixth Precinct.
Got his Galaxy
Police are still searching for three unidentified men who reportedly attacked another man and then stole his cell phone on the Lower East Side back in January.
The victim, 28, told cops he was walking past the corner of Ludlow and Canal Sts. around 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 16, when the three alleged thugs approached from behind and punched him in the head. The blows caused the man’s Samsung Galaxy phone to fall to the ground. He tried to pick it up, but the the suspects kicked him in the back, swiped the phone and fled west on Canal St., police said. The victim wasn’t seriously injured and declined medical attention.
All three of the suspects are described as black males, about 18 to 20 years of age, police said.
Dishonorable theft
Police arrested a brazen woman nearly three months after she allegedlystole $3,500 from her employer — a Meatpacking District museum dedicated to remembering the recovery efforts that took place in Lower Manhattan following the 9/11 attacks.
Phoenix Toliver, 28, was working at the Ground Zero Museum Workshop, at 420 W. 14th St., when she reportedly pocketed the cash on Dec. 8, police said. Her manager later realized that the money was missing after looking through his financial documents, after which he reportedly sent four of his friends to check on Toliver at work in February. Those friends apparently confirmed the boss’s suspicions, and after he confronted Toliver she confessed to stealing the cash and wiring it to her mother, police said.
Cops eventually apprehended Toliver on Feb. 24, and although the money hasn’t yet been recovered, she was charged with grand larceny.
Card-skimmer busted
A department store cashier was busted on Feb. 25 after he allegedly used a skimmer device to steal customers’ credit card information.
Nigel Wilson, 24, was working the register at Crate and Barrel, near the corner of Broadway and Houston St., when someone spotted him using the skimmer and immediately reported the activity, police said. When officers arrived on the scene minutes later to check out the situation, they found that Wilson was in fact in possession of not one, but two card skimmers, along with two illegally altered credit cards that he’d doctored using stolen information. After further investigation, cops said they also learned that the cashier had used a skimmer at work on Feb. 16 and 18.
Wilson was charged with two counts of possession of a forged instrument, two counts of criminal possession of a forgery device and identity theft.
Scary fares
Police arrested two teens on March 2 after they allegedly threatened a cab driver with a knife following their refusal to pay him.
The cabbie, 35, told cops that he dropped off Jakwon Ramos, 18, and his 17-year-old male friend near the corner of MacDougal and Bleecker Sts. around 4:45 a.m., after which they walked away without paying the $3.50 fare. And when the driver got out of the taxi and again asked for payment, Ramos reportedly whipped out a large, serrated knife and waved it at him, while the 17-year-old friend yelled, “Get back in the car!”
The cabbie then drove away and circled around the block until he could flag down a cop, after which he led the officer to the two teens. Ramos had reportedly thrown the knife away into a pile of garbage, but cops recovered it before apprehendeding the two perpetrators. Both were charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
Car break-in
A potential carjacker was caught in the act early on March 1 and was stopped before he could finish the job, police said.
Officers said they spotted Art’emdi Doe, 25, inside a parked car — which he did not own — at the corner of Hudson and Barrow Sts. around 2:15 a.m. They also saw that Doe was holding pliers — possibly in an attempt to hotwire the vehicle and drive it away. He was arrested and charged with possession of burglar tools and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Wallet snatcher
Police arrested Gustavo Lins, 25, after he allegedly snatched a woman’s wallet in a Meatpacking District bar early on March 1.
The victim, 22, told cops she was hanging out inside Brass Monkey, at 55 Little W. 12th St., around 2:20 a.m. when she suddenly felt someone rifling through her purse. After looking into it moments later, she realized the wallet was gone — and when the woman then spun around, she reportedly spotted Lins with the wallet tucked under his arm. She immediately confronted him and took back the property, after which security stepped in and detained Lins until officers arrived on the scene. He was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
Glass smasher
In another instance of Meatpacking District mayhem, police arrested Brendan McCafferty, 22, 10 days after he allegedly smashed a bar glass over another man’s head.
The victim, 35, told officers he was in 675 Bar, at 675 Hudson St., around 1 a.m. on Feb. 15, when he got into an argument with McCafferty. After the dispute heated up, McCafferty reportedly hit him three times with the glass, leaving three cuts that were later treated by paramedics.
McCafferty fled the scene before police could nab him. But his friends — who were at the bar and apparently felt bad about the incident — handed over his name and phone number to the officers. McCafferty was eventually arrested on Feb. 25, and was charged with assault.
— Sam Spokony
