AMBER ALERT ARREST | At 1:50pm on Fri., Aug. 26, Pennsylvania State Police sent out an Amber Alert for Ava Byrne, a three-year-old from Pennsylvania, who was abducted by her father, 24-year-old Robert Byrne. Traveling in a 2004 Hyundai Elantra, they were suspected to be headed toward New York City. Just minutes after the alert went out, a motorist informed an NYPD traffic officer that he saw the vehicle two car lengths ahead of them, in front of 430 W. 34th St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.), within the confines of the 10th Precinct. The officer pulled the vehicle over, which was indeed Byrne’s, and called for backup. The responding officers were able to arrest Byrne and recover the child, who appeared to be unharmed — and was reunited with her mother later that day.
PETIT LARCENY: Mike’s Hard time | Good thieves know it’s standard operating procedure to leave the scene of the crime before enjoying your loot — a lesson someone should have explained to an inebriated individual who attempted to steal from a Rite Aid (282 Eighth Ave., at W. 24th St.) on Fri., Aug. 26. The 26-year-old placed a number of items into a basket, and covered them up with a shirt. Soon thereafter, he began covertly opening up the merch and drinking while still in the store — specifically, a Vitamin Water, and from a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade (at a dignified 7:35am, natch). This drew the attention of store staff, and upon further inspection, it was sussed out that the souse didn’t have any sort of currency on him, or method of paying for his drinks. He was quickly arrested.
PETIT LARCENY: Suspect steals Slurpee
Later that weekend, another individual’s hankering for a nice “cold one” of a different persuasion landed him on the radar of the authorities. On Sun., Aug. 28, a 19-year-old employee of a 7-Eleven (194 Seventh Ave., btw. W. 21st & W. 22nd Sts.) reported to police that a man had entered the store at around 3:45pm, poured himself out a small Slurpee, and then promptly left — though apparently he made sure to practice good manners, saying, “Thank you,” to the cashier before strolling out with his ill-gotten goody. This wouldn’t have been of much note, save for the fact that the employee was at the end of her rope with the man, who reportedly “continuously” does this, visiting the store frequently to pilfer his frozen beverage of choice. No one’s been arrested in relation to this icy incident, but with that many Slurpees in his system, a brain freeze that gets him caught seems imminent.
PETIT LARCENY: Backpack bungle
At about 10:30am on Thurs., Aug. 25, a 68-year-old driver became a living, breathing slapstick visual gag when he drove his car away from its parking spot on the 400 block of W. 22nd St. (btw. Ninth & 10th Aves.), forgetting that he had placed a backpack full of his belongings on the roof of his vehicle. Realizing his mistake about 20 minutes later, the man returned to the location where he was parked, only to discover that his stuff was no longer there. He suspects that the bag was taken by some unknown perp (or multiple perps), making off with $300 worth of goodies — including his iPhone, an Amazon Kindle, and earplugs — as well as his passport.
ASSAULT: Let sleeping dudes lie
On Fri., Aug. 26, an unfortunate officer found out that a heavy sleeper turned out to also be quite the heavy hitter. At about 6am, the officer observed the man sleeping on the sidewalk on Dyer Ave. (btw. W. 40th & W. 41st Sts.), and attempted to wake him up. Upon being jostled from his slumber, the 22-year-old man decided the best course of action would be to fight back against his human wake-up call. He began throwing punches at the officer, who was able to arrest him without getting injured. He was then transferred to the Port Authority (punishment enough in and of itself) where his arrest was processed at the police desk within.
—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 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. 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.
