HARASSMENT: Sometimes, life’s a pitch | A 26-year-old Queens woman was crossing the street (at the northwest corner of W. 17th St. & 10th Ave.) at 8:20pm on Thurs., June 23 — when out of nowhere, an unknown individual threw a ball at her, hitting her square in the abdomen. According to the victim, the pitching perp asked his companion something along the lines of, “Why the f**k are we still here?” before hightailing it southbound on 10th Ave. Fortunately, the woman did not sustain any injuries — but unfortunately, a canvas of the area yielded negative results for the cannon-armed criminal.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: Bust the mirrors out your truck | Perhaps this criminal was inspired by Beyoncé’s baseball bat-armed antics in “Lemonade” — though instead of being a lover scorned, he was reportedly a stranger to his 51-year-old victim. That Brooklyn man was in his truck at about 12pm on Fri., June 24, on the 200 block of W. 28th St. (btw. Seventh & Eighth Aves.), when the 41-year-old assailant struck him with a closed fist, causing bruising and swelling to his right eye. Not finished with his ambush, the perp then went on to approach the man with an aluminum bat, which significantly alarmed his target. Instead of the man, however, he hit both the truck’s driver’s side mirrors, causing significant damage. Ultimately the aggressor, a Brooklyn resident, struck out, as he was promptly arrested.
PETIT LARCENY: Sour grapes of wrath | While illicitly obtained, a man was probably not expecting his snack of some fresh fruit to leave such a bitter taste in his mouth on Fri., June 24. At around 9:30pm, an officer witnessed the 19-year-old man place items into his backpack at a Duane Reade (131 Eighth Ave., btw. W. 16th & W. 17th Sts.), and then proceed to bypass the register with his loot. An effort to apprehend the suspect resulted in a brief chase, when the quick-footed thief attempted to run away from the law. This reaction initially seemed fairly extreme for the $5 worth of grapes recovered from the individual — but the reason for the foot pursuit soon became clear, as the arresting officer discovered that the man had a warrant out for his arrest. Naturally, the not-so-great grape grabber was arrested. At last report, he was fermenting in jail.
OBSTRUCTION OF FIRE OPERATIONS: You shall not pass (gas) | On Sat., June 25, a man found himself catching heat from the fire department, as well as police, when he refused to let them into his apartment on the 300 block of W. 21st St. (btw. Eighth & Ninth Aves.). Those entities were investigating the potential presence of toxic fumes and gases, the smell of which were distinctly emanating from the man’s apartment. The authorities, simply following their noses, were apparently not dissuaded by the man’s silver-tongued attempts to turn them around. “I don’t smell anything,” he asserted innocuously. “What odor?” he cunningly questioned. The firefighters and cops were having none of his shenanigans though, and as the verbal interference escalated to physical force, they proceeded to arrest the 41-year-old man — a process he didn’t go along with easily, wildly flailing his arms to resist being cuffed by officers. A gas leak was indeed found inside (with the line quickly being shut off by Con Ed). Also found: a quantity of a controlled substance there within — making the aggressive recluse’s reluctance to invite the authorities into his abode immediately understandable.
HARASSMENT: I spit on your graveyard shift | Perhaps she mistook him for someone else, or perhaps he just had one of those faces — but either way, a drive-by-drooling on Sun., June 26 left one employee of a Rite Aid (282 Eighth Ave., at W. 24th St.) scratching his head and reaching for a towel. At about 4:15am, a 29-year-old woman entered the store, and approached the employee, and proceeded to spit on him and throw a water bottle at him. The 24-year-old man maintains that the salivating suspect was a total stranger. While authorities were alerted to the spittle-soaked incident, no arrests were made.
—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 Timony. 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.
