Terrorism: Bomb threat
At around 10:45 a.m. on Thurs, May 22, an employee of the CVS at 272 Eighth Ave. (corner of 24th St.) answered the phone, and heard a man’s voice: “Don’t tell anybody,” the caller demanded. “Keep calm. I put a bomb inside the store.” The employee was then instructed to get 10 MoneyPak Cards, worth $500 each, and give him the access information over the phone. At this point, the caller stated that any employee who came out of the store before the completion of this transaction would be shot. Once the NYPD was notified, officers canvassed the area — but there was no sign of suspicious activity, such as a man who might be conducting surveillance of the store.
Grand Larceny: ‘Blink’ and you’ll miss it
Putting a lock on a locker? Don’t be absurd. This is New York, where fitness and honesty go hand in hand — or so she thought. A young woman is out $86 in cash, and will have to replace her drivers license, her $10 MetroCard and several credit cards — after the too-trusting soul left her belongings in a locker, sans security apparatus, at Blink Fitness (308 Eighth Ave., btw. 25th & 26th Aves.) on the morning of Thurs, May 22. Upon returning 45 minutes later, the abovementioned items were gone. The victim cancelled her credit cards, one of which already had unauthorized charges on it by that point.
Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance: Tagger was trippin’
Police arrested a teenager with just over a half hour left on the May 22 clock, when they observed him “making graffiti on a building” in the 200 block of Tenth Ave. (using, as his calling card, the tag “Tripel Tribe”). Upon investigation, they recovered three bags of hallucinogens from his person, and discovered that the “city wide vandal” had an active warrant.
Vehicle Traffic Law: Biker Busted
On summer break through August, the 10th Precinct Community Council has been meeting (last Wed. of the month, 7 p.m.) since September 2013. Tension between bicyclists and pedestrians has been, and remains, the most significant area of concern voiced by locals (coming in a close second: truck and bus traffic on side streets). On the matter of Chelsea’s bike lanes, residents have consistently pressed the NYPD, Community Board 4 and elected officials for more aggressive enforcement efforts. One such effort recently led to the arrest of a bicyclist who, just after 8 a.m. on Fri., May 23, was observed going northbound on Eighth Ave. Riding outside of the bike lane, he flew through two red lights (at W. 19th & 20th Sts.), then was stopped by uniformed officers at W. 22nd St. He then fled eastbound on 22nd St., opposite the traffic, and was apprehended on the corner of Seventh Ave. He was charged with causing public alarm and posing a hazardous condition to motor vehicles.
—Scott Stiffler
