(Posted, Sept. 24, 2015)
Tourist scuffle at 9/11 Memorial
A Wisconsin tourist was taking photos with his cellphone near the 9/11 Memorial on Fri., Sept. 18 at around 11:20 a.m. when another tourist tried to steal his phone, police say.
The Michigan tourist, 41, approached the other man as he took photos and asked him, “Why do you have a red phone?” Police say the suspect then attempted to grab the phone and pushed the man. The Wisconsin man ran away while the Michigan man followed. The Michigan man was arrested, police say, but he screamed, yelled and refused to be handcuffed.
Daytime mugging
A Queens man, 35, was going down the subway stairs in the Financial District Sunday afternoon, when two people attacked him and stole his wallet, police say.
The man was going down the stairs to catch an A train at the Chambers St./World Trade Center station on Sun., Sept. 20 at noon when one man and one woman ran up to him, punched him and then stole his wallet with $60, police say. One of the team was caught. The man, 18 and a Brooklyn resident, was arrested.
Cabbie carjacking
Last week, four men attacked a yellow cab driver, pulled him out of the cab, stole it and then crashed it, police say.
The passengers hit the cabbie in the chest near the corner of South and Wall Sts. at around 2 a.m. on Tues., Sept. 15, police say. They got the driver, 35, out of the cab and then took off in the vehicle until they overturned it. They fled the scene, but police did arrest one — a 25-year-old man.
W.T.C. guard arrested
Fries flew and tempers flared early morning last week outside of a Financial District McDonald’s when a World Trade Center security guard slashed and stabbed a 20-year-old man, according to the police and media reports.
The verbal dispute started inside of the fast-food joint at 160 Broadway, where reportedly the younger man threw fries at the guard. The Queens man, his friend, 22, and the 54-year-old guard stepped outside of the McDonalds on Mon., Sept. 14 at around 3:30 a.m., police say.
The two men confronted the guard, who proceeded to pull out a knife, according to police. The younger man punched the guard, who then proceeded to swing the knife and slice the 22-year-old on the left side of his face, police say. The guard also stabbed the victim in the upper left area of his chest, police say.
The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital and was in stable condition.
The guard took off and was caught by police near Church St., according to reports. The knife was not found.
The suspect, Saul Puente, has been charged with one count of assault with intent to cause injury with a weapon, according to the New York State Unified Court system. He has been released on his own recognizance.
Porsche stolen
A Tribeca man parked his car in a neighborhood parking garage last weekend and got his 2013 $120,000 black Porsche stolen in the afternoon, police say.
On Sat., Sept. 19 at around 4 p.m., the man, 61, parked his car at the Manhattan Parking Group garage at 143 Reade St., police say. Upon returning about half an hour later, the Porsche was gone. Two male witnesses told police they saw a male suspect drive the luxury car west on Reade St. Police say the owner of the nearby Reade Street Pub & Kitchen has video of the suspect taking the Porsche.
Scooter robbery
A Lower East Side teenager was enjoying his self-balancing scooter when three men working together assaulted him and stole the $350 scooter and his backpack before fleeing the Financial District, police say.
The teen, 15, was using the cool contraption — like a Segway without handles or a hoverboard with wheels — near New and Beaver Sts. on Sat., Sept. 5 at around 12:45 p.m., police say, when one of the three men approached the teen and asked to try out the scooter. The teen obliged. But when he asked for the scooter back, the two other men hit him in the face and the neck. The victim fell to the ground.
The three suspects stole the scooter as well as the teen’s $80 Kevin Durant bag, $120 Under Armour basketball shoes and $25 Nike sandals.
Damsel decoy, pickpocket ploy
A Connecticut man fell prey to three con artists on the 4 train on Fri., Sept. 4 at 4:40 p.m., police say.
The man, 48, got on the train at the Fulton St. station and told police that the trio followed him into the car. One of the three, a woman — described as around 25, 5ft. 4” and 100 pounds — acted as if her hand was caught in the door. The second of the group — a man described as around 20, 5ft. 10” and 180 pounds — went to help her.
While this distraction was going on, a third member — a man also described as 20, 5ft. 10” and 180 pounds — bumped into the man and stole his wallet. The three then fled when the doors reopened. But before they left the station, the victim said the suspects made eye contact with him and smiled.
They stole his credit cards, $7, driver’s license and a $150 train ticket.
– DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC
