Vicious Meatpack attack
A brutal three-man assault in the Meatpacking District early Sat., March 30, left one man unconscious and a second with multiple facial fractures.
Witnesses told police that it started with a simple dispute around 4 a.m., when the two victims exchanged words with Adrian Capric, 21, Haljilj Kocic, 28, and Agim Zaneli, 26, as they crossed paths outside the Hotel Gansevoort, on Ninth Ave. between Little W. 12th and W. 13th Sts. It wasn’t clear exactly what set things off, but the fight suddenly exploded, the witnesses said, and the group of three reportedly became the aggressors in a near-deadly attack.
Capric, Kocic and Zeneli allegedly punched and kicked one of the victims, 35, so many times that he lost consciousness on the sidewalk. And when his 38-year-old friend stepped in to aid him, the three brawlers socked him in the face as well, leaving him with a bloody nose and a bruised eye socket.
After witnesses reported the attack, police arrived on the scene in time to catch Capric, Kocic and Zeneli in the act, as they continued to pummel the first victim even as he lay incapacitated. Once the three attackers had been subdued, paramedics arrived to take the unconscious man to Beth Israel Hospital, where doctors said that, along with painful cuts, he had to be treated for multiple broken bones in his face.
Capric, Kocic and Zeneli were each charged with two felony counts of assault.
Cashier’s big-time con
There’s a moral to this story — always keep an eye on your credit card when you’re making a purchase.
Police arrested Janniah Jemison, 21, on March 28 after she allegedly used another woman’s Visa card number to purchase more than $3,200 worth of MasterCard and American Express gift cards. Jemison, an employee at the Gristedes supermarket at 246 Mercer St., at W. Third St., is believed to have copied the number while ringing up the victim’s purchase on Jan. 24, police said.
According to results of a police investigation that began this past week, by the time the unwitting customer finally learned of the fraudulent charges upon seeing her bill, Jemison had reportedly bought 17 different gift cards between Jan. 24 and Feb. 17. The victim later told officers that she never suspected any foul play until seeing the evidence firsthand, since her physical card had never actually been stolen.
After officers strolled into the Mercer St. Gristedes to slap the cuffs on Jemison, the sneaky thief finally got a first taste of the world of trouble she’s brought upon herself. She’s now facing 17 charges of grand larceny — one for each fraudulent gift card purchase.
Beaten with a stick
A thug who allegedly attacked another man near Union Square probably thought he was off the hook after initially escaping from cops — but the boys in blue corralled him two days later.
The victim, 31, told police he got into an argument with Erick Rivera, 22, at the corner of E. 13th St. and University Place around 3 p.m. on March 26, and the dispute apparently escalated quickly. Rivera reportedly began hitting the other man on the head, arms and body with a wooden stick, police said, leaving him with cuts and bruises that required treatment at Beth Israel Hospital.
Rivera fled the scene on foot before officers could arrive, according to the victim and witnesses, and a canvass later that day came up negative. But using information about the alleged attacker’s identity and description, police were able to track him down on March 28. Rivera was charged with assault.
Brained with a bottle
Police arrested Eladio Lopez, 24, early on Fri., March 29, after witnesses said he smashed a glass bottle over another man’s head during a Greenwich Village bar fight.
The altercation took place around 3:30 a.m. inside Wicked Willy’s, at 149 Bleecker St., and apparently stemmed from a drunken dispute, according to witnesses. The victim suffered a cut to his head, and was treated at the scene by paramedics, police said.
Lopez was charged with assault.
Sam Spokony
