CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF A WEAPON: Knife Man | On Thurs., Oct. 27, the only tip one unfortunate service industry worker was offered was that of a knife. At around 10:15pm, a confrontational man brandishing a stainless steel knife returned to a Boston Market (271 W. 23rd St., btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.) he had previously been told to leave because of his behavior. According to the 22-year-old employee working that night, the man threatened him for telling him to leave earlier, stating plainly, “I’m going to kill you,” and lunging at the employee with his blade. Fortunately he didn’t sustain any injuries, and police arrived at the scene shortly thereafter to arrest the 42-year-old would-be assailant.
THEFT OF SERVICES: Uh-uh, can’t tell me nothin’ | On Sat., Oct. 29, one bad ol’ southern boy discovered that the only free ride you get in New York is to jail. When the out-of-towner arrived on the 500 block of W. 42nd St. (btw. 10th & 11th Aves.), the 27-year-old North Carolina man refused to pay his fare, according to the 25-year-old driver who brought him there. When this conflict caused officers nearby to approach the scene, the rabble-rousing rider got belligerent. “You can’t tell me what to do,” he said confidently, while shoving his hands firmly in his coat pockets. Sadly, for him, he was mistaken, as telling people what to do is, in fact, part of the police’s stock and trade — including telling him to put his hands behind his back in order to be cuffed. The man refused to do so, instead adopting a defiantly aggressive stance, while attempting to pull his hands away from them. This tact failed miserably however, as the tough guy was wrestled to the ground and arrested.
CRIMINAL POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA/CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE: 17th Street smokers, smoked | Cops caught two tricksters enjoying some very illicit treats on W. 17th St. this Halloweekend. In the first incident, at a little after 4am on Sat., Oct. 29, police witnessed a man smoking a lit marijuana cigarette on the 400 block of W. 17th St. (btw. 10th & 11th Aves.), in plain view. Though the man flicked it away, the police were undeterred, and recovered it from the ground. “I found it on the floor,” the smoker offered to the authorities, apparently believing this to be a factoid relevant to the proceedings, and not just more than a little gross. The cops certainly weren’t particularly concerned with where the weed came from, but instead where the 21-year-old was going — the big house, specifically. The next day, in a building on the same block, police witnessed a man holding a smoking pipe, which contained methamphetamines in it. The authorities recovered the pipe, and confronted the individual. “I took a puff,” the impressively lucid 46-year-old Brooklyn man admitted, while police discovered another bag full of “alleged methamphetamines” in his pants pocket. He too, was arrested.
PETIT LARCENY: Mechanic panic | He had the getup and everything — but that didn’t stop one 68-year-old woman from feeling like a fast one was being pulled on her on Sat., Oct. 29. At about 12:15pm, while driving at the northeast corner of Eighth Ave. and W. 28th St., the woman was approached by a man wearing a mechanic’s uniform urging her to pull over because her engine was smoking. The woman then opened the hood of the car, and saw smoke pour out — at which point the “mechanic” asked for $100 to fix the car, which she provided. Something about this convenient confluence of events (and perhaps the incident’s proximity to Halloween) seemed a little fishy to the woman, who felt uneasy enough about it to report to the police that she feelt like she was scammed. She may be right; it bears mentioning that a very similar scam was reported in these pages recently, sans costume.
GRAND LARCENY: Mr. Robber’s neighborhood | While some may lament the city’s lack of neighborly intimacy, sometimes the proverbial good fences we set up are a useful defense mechanism — a lesson one 30-year-old man learned the hard way after letting his guard down on Sun., Oct. 30. Upon leaving his W. 42nd St. residence (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.) at 5am with $60 cash in his hand, he encountered a good-natured stranger on his block, who struck up a conversation with him. It seems, though, the man was less interested in picking his brain than his pocket, as at some point during their chat, the man suddenly grabbed the cash out of his companion’s hand, and fled eastbound on W. 42nd St. Police, however, conducted a canvas of the area, and his victim was easily able to identify him. It turns out that the 40-year-old thief already had two open dockets; he was promptly arrested.
—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.
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.
