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Police Blotter, Week of June 13, 2013

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A screen grab from a surveillance video provided by police, showing the alleged attempted-rape suspect inside the E. Sixth St. building on Dec. 28.

Pickpocket’s poor timing
A well-placed police officer was patrolling an L subway set to depart the Eighth Ave. station, at W. 14th St., around 6:30 a.m. on Sun., June 9, when he spotted Norberto Reyes, 35, making his move. While the train was still in the station, Reyes approached a sleeping 69-year-old man, reached into the passenger’s pants pocket, and snatched his phone, according to the officer. Noticing the officer approaching him, Reyes dropped the phone back onto the lap of the senior citizen — who was still dozing — to make it look as if nothing had occurred.

But it was too late, as the officer had seen all he needed to arrest Reyes and charge him with grand larceny.

Not so fast, buddy!
A woman, 31, told police that, while partying inside Gaslight bar and lounge, at 400 W. 14th St., early Sun., June 9, she left her bag unattended for several minutes and, upon returning to her seat around 3 a.m., realized it was gone.

An on-duty police officer, who happened be walking along W. 14th St. at the time of the theft, noticed a man — later identified as Arton Hasanaj, 32 — sprinting out of Gaslight. Suspecting foul play, the officer stopped and questioned Hasanaj, who was holding the stolen purse. After the victim was located in the club and confirmed that it was her bag, Hasanaj was charged with grand larceny.

‘What are you gonna do?’
Police arrested Zachary Clemons, 38, after he allegedly roughed up another man while stealing his cell phone on the evening of June 6.

The victim, 34, said he was walking east on Christopher St. near Seventh Ave. South around 5 p.m., when Clemons approached him and grabbed the phone out of his hand. Clemons then reportedly pushed the man into a wall and said, “What are you gonna do about it?” Since the victim was, by his own testimony, scared stiff, Clemons also reportedly tried to get more out of him by menacingly asking, “You have some money on you?”

But a bystander at the busy intersection had already called police to report the crime. Before Clemons could flee, a patrol car responded and he was charged with robbery.

Teen phone takers
Police arrested two teens early Thurs., June 6, after they allegedly stole a man’s cell phone as he walked through the Village.

Witnesses said that the two perpetrators — Troy Thurman, 18, and a 16-year-old male whose name was not released — snuck up on the victim, 22, near the corner of Greenwich and Sixth Aves., around 12:30 a.m., and that Thurman swiped the phone out of the man’s hand before he could react. The teens fled on foot, but were caught two hours later during a police canvass of the area, and were positively identified once cops saw that their stolen phone matched the victim’s.

Thurman and his sidekick were charged with grand larceny.

Vodka gets credit for bust
An open-container violation early on Wed., June 5, led police to recover a stolen credit card — and it landed the card’s illegal user behind bars.

Officers on patrol said they spotted Rashawn Kelly, 26, drinking a bottle of Georgi vodka at the corner of Christopher and Bedford Sts. around 2:30 a.m., and stopped him. When they searched Kelly, they found he was carrying a credit card belonging to a 23-year-old woman who had recently reported it missing. Police said several unauthorized charges had been filed on the stolen card, but it was unclear if Kelly had actually made them.

In addition to drinking in public, Kelly was charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

—  Sam Spokony