Category Archives: Police Watch

Police Watch: Man arrested for phone theft, ACS teen nabbed for beatdown

MAN CHARGED WITH PHONE THEFT AFTER BEING CHASED DOWN BY VICTIM
Police arrested 43-year-old Maitreya One for an alleged theft from the Fat Buddha bar at 212 Avenue A between 13th and 14th Streets on Saturday, February 9 at 11:44 p.m. The victim told police that she put her phone on a table in the bar and turned her back to it, and when she turned back around, the phone was missing. She said that she used the Find My iPhone app and it pinged at the McDonald’s at 404 East 14th Street. She said that she pinged her phone again while walking around nearby and heard it coming from an unknown man. She said that she confronted the man and asked for the phone back, which he refused. The victim said that she called 911 and followed the man to East 17th Street and Second Avenue, where he was arrested. When the suspect was taken into custody, the victim’s phone was recovered from his front right jacket pocket. One was arrested at the corner of Second Avenue and East 17th Street on Sunday, February 10 at 12:52 a.m. and was charged with petit larceny and possession of stolen property.

ACS TEEN NABBED FOR BEATDOWN OF ANOTHER TEEN
Police arrested a teenager for an alleged assault that took place in front of 130 East 29th Street on November 20, 2018, at 10:30 p.m. The victim told police that the suspect punched him numerous times in the face, causing swelling and bruising to both cheeks and his right eye. Police said that the suspect and the victim know each other because they both live in the Administration for Children’s Services facility at 492 First Avenue. The teen was arrested on Friday, February 8 at 2 a.m. inside the 13th precinct.

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Police Watch: Massage therapist charged with sex abuse, Man busted for alleged attempted purse-snatching

MASSAGE THERAPIST CHARGED WITH SEX ABUSE
Police arrested 36-year-old Omar Walrond for alleged sex abuse that took place on December 3, 2018, at 10 a.m. inside Metassage at 12 West 27th Street. The victim told police that Walrond, her former coworker who is a licensed massage therapist, allegedly groped her numerous times during a massage session. She said that during the session, she was wearing underwear and Walrond allegedly reached inside to touch her vagina. He also reportedly groped her breast excessively during the session, and she said that she felt extremely uncomfortable during the massage. Police said that the victim used to work in the massage parlor with Walrond.

Walrond was arrested on Monday, January 28 at 8:15 a.m. and was charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching.

MAN BUSTED FOR ALLEGED ATTEMPTED PURSE-SNATCHING ON EAST 15TH STREET
Police arrested 29-year-old Jerome Richards for an alleged attempted theft in front of 210 East 15th Street on Saturday, February 2 at 7 a.m. The victim told police that she was leaving the Third Avenue L station on 14th Street and headed north towards East 15th Street towards her job when she noticed that Richards was following closely behind her. She then crossed East 15th Street and Richards followed, then allegedly attempted to snatch her bag from her three to four times. Richards failed to get the victim’s bag from her and fled the location, but was arrested when the victim searched the area with officers and spotted him nearby.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for robbery, Man charged with stealing hand truck

ACCUSED OF BREAKING WINDOW, MAN THEN ARRESTED FOR PREVIOUS ROBBERY
Police arrested 42-year-old Christopher Keppel for alleged criminal mischief in front of Papaya Dog at 239 First Avenue on Thursday, January 24 at 3:40 p.m. Police said that when Keppel was fighting with an unknown person, he punched the storefront of the business.

After searching the area, an employee of the business spotted Keppel and identified him as the person who had allegedly damaged the window. After Keppel was searched, police found that he was in possession of a bag with a white powder that was inside his boot. Keppel allegedly told police that the bag was his crack.

After he was arrested, Keppel was charged with a robbery that took place in front of 245 First Avenue on January 18 at 5:55 a.m. Police said that Keppel grabbed the victim’s cell phone from his hand and punched him in the face.

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Police Watch: Driver allegedly fled scene of accident, Man charged with office burglary

DRIVER ALLEGEDLY FLED SCENE OF ACCIDENT
Police arrested 33-year-old Raechard White for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident. The victim told police that he was driving east on East 23rd Street with a green light when another vehicle driving north on Park Avenue South went through the red light, striking his vehicle. The victim said that the driver of the vehicle that hit him got out of the car and ran into the subway.

Police were unable to find him at the time, but White had allegedly left a wallet in the vehicle with his name on it and he was arrested inside the 13th Precinct on Tuesday, January 15 at 9 a.m. White was also charged with being an unlicensed operator. Police said that the victim suffered injuries to his ribs and was taken to Bellevue Hospital.

MAN CHARGED WITH OFFICE BURGLARY
Police arrested 20-year-old Jose Gutierrez for alleged burglaries inside 55 West 21st Street last summer. Police said that Gutierrez could be seen on video surveillance after hours while the office was closed for business and was allegedly stealing equipment. Police said that Gutierrez was inside the office on July 18, 2018, and another date later in the month.

Gutierrez was charged with burglary inside the 13th Precinct on Monday, January 14.

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Police Watch: Bus driver arrested after hitting pedestrian, Suspect arrested for alleged CVS robbery

Robbery suspect

BUS DRIVER ARRESTED AFTER HITTING PEDESTRIAN ON EAST 22ND STREET
Police arrested 54-year-old Damion Seeley for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident causing personal injury in an incident on August 17 around 10 p.m. near the intersection of East 22nd Street and Second Avenue. Seeley was driving a bus near the intersection allegedly hit a man in his 40s who was crossing the street. Police said that Seeley then left the scene without waiting for police to arrive, and the victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries. Seeley was arrested on Monday, December 10 at 6:40 p.m. inside the 13th Precinct. Police did not have further information about whether the bus was owned by the MTA or a private company.

SUSPECT ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED ROBBERY WITH HYPODERMIC NEEDLE AT CVS
Police arrested 41-year-old Alan Betances for an alleged robbery that took place inside the CVS at 253 First Avenue on Wednesday, November 14 around 8 p.m.

As Town & Village reported at the time, a man strolled into the store and began throwing items from the shelves into a garbage bag. When an employee confronted him in the aisle, the man allegedly pulled out a needle and told the worker to “step back.”

Betances was arrested on Wednesday, December 12 at 5:30 p.m. inside the 13th Precinct.

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Police Watch: Woman arrested for swiping ice cream, Man charged with assault

WOMAN ALLEGEDLY SWIPED DOZENS OF CARTONS OF ICE CREAM
Police arrested 32-year-old Christina Figueroa for an alleged theft inside the Food Emporium at 10 Union Square East on Monday, December 3 at 7:12 p.m. Police said that Figueroa took 50 containers of ice cream from the store without paying for the items.

MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT OF OFFICERS AT BETH ISRAEL
Police arrested 28-year-old Julian Dejesus for an alleged assault inside Beth Israel Hospital at 281 First Avenue on Monday, December 3 at 9:22 p.m. Police said that Dejesus went to the hospital voluntarily to be evaluated but once he became aware that he was going to be admitted into the psychiatric ward, he became irate and allegedly began fighting with security. Police said that two security officers were injured while trying to subdue him.

MAN CHARGED WITH 2017 ROLEX THEFT
Police arrested 32-year-old Tyrone Hood on Monday, December 3 at 10:09 a.m. inside the 13th precinct for an alleged theft that took place last year. Police said that the victim invited Hood and another person who wasn’t arrested back to his apartment at 332 East 18th Street after meeting them at a bar on September 9, 2017 around 3 a.m. When he woke up later, the men were gone and his watch and Rolex were missing. No other arrests have been made.

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Police Watch: Man choked woman on bus, Teen busted for stolen credit cards

MAN CHOKED WOMAN ON BUS, SPIT ON COPS
Police arrested a 30-year-old John Doe for alleged obstruction of breath in front of 489 Second Avenue on Saturday, December 1 at 1:19 p.m. The victim told police that the man approached her while she was on a bus and took his thumbs, pressing them to her neck while pressing her face against the window. The man was also charged with harassment. The man was also charged with resisting arrest and harassment for allegedly spitting on two officers who were attempting to arrest him.

ACS TEEN BUSTED FOR STOLEN CREDIT CARDS
Police arrested a teenager for possession of stolen property inside the ACS facility at 492 First Avenue on Saturday, December 1 at 1:37 p.m. Police said that the teen was in possession of six credit cards that didn’t belong to him.

MAN ARRESTED IN UNION SQUARE FOR ALLEGED MIDTOWN ROBBERY
Police arrested 30-year-old Dejuan Gore at the corner of Union Square East and East 14th on Monday, November 26 for an alleged robbery that took place in Midtown in October. Police said that Gore and another person allegedly robbed the victim inside the subway station at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue on October 17 at 8:45 a.m. The other suspect allegedly punched the victim in the face, causing pain and swelling, while Gore reportedly took cell phones from the victim.

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Police Watch: Alleged subway ‘grinder’ arrested, Men charged with assault outside Food Emporium

ALLEGED SUBWAY ‘GRINDER’ ON 6 TRAIN ARRESTED
Police arrested 64-year-old Mohamed Abdel Rahim for alleged sexual abuse inside the Union Square station on Tuesday, November 20 at 5:30 p.m. Rahim allegedly thrust his erect penis onto the victim’s buttocks while they were on an uptown 6 train. Police said that Rahim and the victim did not know each other.

MEN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT OUTSIDE FOOD EMPORIUM
Police arrested 43-year-old Kitwane Parkinson and 39-year-old Alexander Rivera for an alleged assault on Monday, November 19 at 4:25 p.m. in front of 10 Union Square East. Parkinson and Rivera allegedly kicked and punched the victim inside the location due to an argument they had earlier in the day. Police said that the victim had bruised lips.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING WALLET FROM HOLIDAY MARKET VENDOR
Police arrested 32-year-old Dominique Elgin for an alleged theft that took place in Union Square earlier this month. A vendor at the Union Square Holiday Market told police that she left her purse on a chair in her booth on Sunday, November 18 and around 5:50 p.m., she noticed that her wallet was missing from the bag. Police said that Elgin had allegedly used the victim’s credit card. She was busted on Wednesday, November 21 at 7:20 p.m. inside the 13th Precinct.

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Man sentenced to five months for bodega robbery, lawsuit alleges sex abuse at spa

MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE MONTHS FOR 14TH STREET BODEGA ROBBERY

The Manhattan District Attorney has announced the quick sentencing of 36-year-old Eutano Bernard to five months in jail for a robbery inside the bodega at 353 East 14th Street on Wednesday, November 14 at 6:53 a.m. Bernard pleaded guilty to assault in the third degree and was sentenced on Monday. He had entered the store, Community Candy, west of First Avenue, on Wednesday morning and told the cashier, “Give me the money,” before he tried to get behind the counter. He then attacked the store employee, causing cuts to the victim’s head and mouth.

MAN FILES SEX ABUSE LAWSUIT AGAINST FLATIRON SPA WORKER

The New York Post reported that a man who said he was sexually abused while getting a massage in the Living Fresh Men’s Spa at 44 West 22nd Street is suing the person he accused of the crime. As Town & Village reported in September, 47-year-old Pei Tian was charged with sexual abuse after he allegedly removed the towel from the victim during a massage and used his hands to touch the victim’s genitals and buttocks. The suit says that the victim, New Jersey resident Ronnie Arnau, went to the spa with his husband to get a massage and facial but 10 minutes into the session, Tian began focusing “exclusively” on Arnau’s buttocks, making him uncomfortable. The suit seeks unspecified damages and Arnau’s lawyer said that the spa ignored her client when Arnau first reported the assault.

MAN CHARGED WITH EXTORTION OVER PHONE STOLEN FROM GYM

Police arrested 40-year-old Sefu Sieka for an alleged theft in front of 4 Union Square East on Tuesday, November 13 at 11:19 a.m. The victim previously went into the 13th Precinct and told police that his wallet had been stolen from his locker while he was working out at a Blink Fitness.
He said that after it was taken, an unknown woman contacted him and said that she had his wallet and credit cards and wanted a reward from him in exchange for returning the wallet. She also reportedly told the victim that she had used the money in his wallet to buy food.
The victim and special operations officers from the 13th Precinct set up a meeting with the victim and Sieka, at which point Sieka was allegedly seen with the victim’s wallet before handing it over in exchange for cash. He was arrested shortly after. Sieka was charged with grand larceny by extortion, possession of stolen property and petit larceny.

WOMAN ALLEGEDLY LIED HER WAY INTO A FLATIRON APARTMENT

Police arrested 66-year-old Constance Gibbons for allegedly trespassing inside an apartment at 1107 Broadway this summer. Police said that Gibbons went inside the building on July 17 around 5 p.m. and gave the doorman her name, allegedly telling him that she was a representative of Eaton Properties, a property management company. Police said that the doorman gave her a key to one of the apartments, which she then reportedly entered unlawfully. Gibbons was arrested inside the 13th Precinct on Friday, November 16 at 5:34 p.m. Police said that Gibbons gained entry into an apartment by use of deception and remained there without permission.

‘DRUNK’ DRIVER ARRESTED AFTER CRASHING INTO SCAFFOLDING

Police arrested 25-year-old Einne Bunting after he was involved in an accident in front of 49 West 20th Street on Saturday, November 17 at 2:39 a.m. Police said that Bunting was driving east on West 20th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue, allegedly speeding, when he reportedly lost control of the vehicle, spun out of control and crashed into the scaffolding in front of the building on West 20th. When police arrived, Bunting allegedly had a strong odor of alcohol on his breath, slurred speech and bloodshot, watery eyes. Bunting was taken to Bellevue Hospital for blood testing after he was arrested. He was charged with criminal mischief and intoxicated driving.

MAN ACCUSED OF DAMAGING LYFT DRIVER’S CAR IN KIPS BAY

Police arrested 28-year-old Youssouf Konate for allegedly damaging a car at the corner of First Avenue and East 28th Street on Saturday, November 17 at 8:45 a.m. The victim told police that he received a call to pick up Konate from his Lyft app. When he arrived, Konate and five other men tried to get into the victim’s car. The victim told Konate that he wasn’t allowed to have that many people in the car, after which Donate allegedly kicked the passenger’s side rear door, leaving a dent.

TEEN WORKER ARRESTED FOR STEALING CASH FROM BED BATH & BEYOND

Police arrested a teenager inside the bed Bath & Beyond at 620 Sixth Avenue for petit larceny on Tuesday, November 13 at 8:30 p.m. Police said that the teen, an employee at the store, was observed swiping cash from the store’s register on various occasions between November 5 and 12. The total value lost was under $1,000. The teen’s name is being withheld because of his young age.

Police Watch: Man charged with Union Square assault, Woman punched on East 22nd

MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT OF WOMAN IN UNION SQUARE
Police arrested 25-year-old Gage Quinones for an alleged assault in front of 24 Union Square East on Wednesday, November 7. The victim told police that after she smoked meth with Quinones that morning, they got into an argument that escalated into a fight when Quinones allegedly punched her in the mouth, causing a cut on her bottom lip. Quinones was also charged with criminal contempt.

Quinones has been arrested multiple times within the 13th Precinct, usually in or around Union Square, in the last few years. He was charged with assault in 2016 after police said that he hit a man in the back of the head with a brick, breaking four bones. He also allegedly mugged someone in Union Square in 2014 and assaulted someone with a bike lock in the park this past June.

MAN ALLEGEDLY PUNCHES WOMAN ON EAST 22ND STREET
Police arrested 38-year-old Rashawn Duran for an alleged assault in front of 33 East 22nd Street on Sunday, November 11 at 11:04 a.m. The victim told police that she was walking down the sidewalk when Duran allegedly punched her in the face, causing swelling and bruising. The victim said that there was no previous altercation between them before the alleged assault. Duran was stopped in front of 29 East 22nd Street and the victim and a witness positively identified him. The victim was treated on the scene and removed to Bellevue Hospital.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for filming woman in bathroom, Student arrested for releasing sex tape

MAN ALLEGEDLY FILMED WOMAN IN UNION SQUARE BATHROOM
Police arrested 28-year-old Olubenga Adesanya for allegedly filming a woman while she was inside a bathroom stall in the restroom inside the Union Square subway station on Tuesday, July 10 at 2:30 p.m. The woman told police that she went into the bathroom and when she got into the stall, noticed that there was a cell phone camera lens pointed down at her and she could see a person’s feet under the bottom of the stall. When she walked out of the bathroom, she reportedly saw Adesanya in the stall and confronted him outside the restroom, but he wasn’t arrested at the time. Police said that Adesanya turned himself in to officers at Transit District 4 at the corner of East 14th Street and Union Square East on Wednesday, October 31 at 7:15 p.m. because he saw himself on a wanted flyer. He was charged with obscene material.

SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE STUDENT ARRESTED FOR SENDING SEX TAPE TO FRIENDS
Police arrested a teenager for promoting a sexual performance by a child and aggravated harassment after he leaked a video on Tuesday, October 9 of him and his ex-girlfriend having sex. The victim told police that the suspect released the video while they were in the School of the Future at 127 East 22nd Street where they are both students, and that he sent the video to his friends because the victim broke up with him. The victim told police that she was aware of the video but didn’t authorize the suspect to share it with his friends. The teen was arrested on Tuesday, October 30 at 9:35 p.m. inside the 13th Precinct. His name is being withheld due to his young age.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for allegedly filming woman, Handy.com worker accused of theft

MAN ALLEGEDLY FILMED TEEN MCDONALD’S EMPLOYEE WHILE SHE WAS CHANGING
Police arrested 19-year-old Jose Urtarte Encarcanacion for alleged unlawful surveillance inside the McDonald’s at 401 Park Avenue South and East 28th Street on Friday, October 26 at 5:07 p.m. According to the District Attorney’s office, the 17-year-old victim went into a unisex single-person changing area for employees at the restaurant.

Police said that the private area has a curtain that can be closed, and the victim went inside to change her clothes. She said that once she was in the changing area, she noticed an iPhone 7 plus propped up on the coat rack with the camera app open, and she saw that the phone was recording video. Police said that officers recovered the phone from Encarcanacion’s pocket while he was in the back office of the McDonald’s. At the time, he also allegedly said, “Am I in trouble? Will there be any punishment? The phone must have clicked on the video camera. iPhones do that.”

An attorney for Encarcanacion could not be reached for comment.

HANDY.COM WORKER ACCUSED OF THEFT
Police arrested 26-year-old Destiny Matos for an alleged theft from an apartment at 39 West 16th Street on October 8 around 7 p.m. Police said that while Matos was working for cleaning service Handy.com, she allegedly took the victim’s credit card from her apartment and later made several unauthorized charges. Matos was charged with grand larceny inside the 13th Precinct on Tuesday, October 23 at 7:48 p.m.

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Police Watch: Three charged with Barcade robbery, Dog walker arrested for burglaries

THREE CHARGED WITH BARCADE ROBBERY
Police arrested three additional people for an alleged robbery that took place at Barcade on West 24th Street at the end of September. Twenty-seven-year-old Gilberto Morales, 24-year-old Yannick Eva and 25-year-old Sedale Whyte were charged with robbery in connection with the incident. Town & Village previously reported that 27-year-old Adonri Imade was caught at the time of the incident.

The victim told police that he was at the bar playing a game with the four suspects on September 29 around 2:30 a.m. and after he lost a bet, he pulled out his wallet to pay for drinks. Police said that the four suspects attacked him, giving him a cut lip. The victim said that he fell while the three men allegedly continued to kick him, and police said that Imade grabbed his wallet before attempting to flee.

Morales was also charged with assault, and Whyte was also charged with grand larceny for the alleged theft of the victim’s credit card. The three men turned themselves in to the precinct last week. Imade was charged with robbery as well as escape, when she allegedly got out of the police car while handcuffed and reportedly tried to flee.

DOG WALKER BUSTED FOR BURGLARIES
Police arrested 23-year-old Joshua Wilder for burglaries he allegedly committed by using his access as a dog walker to get into victim’s apartments earlier this month.

Police said that Wilder stole a yellow diamond ring valued at $95,000 from the victim’s apartment located within the 13th Precinct on Monday, October 15. The victim told police that Wilder, the dog walker, was the only other person who had a key to the apartment. Continue reading →

Police Watch: Six arrested for helping brothels advertise online, launder money

SIX CHARGED WITH HELPING BROTHELS ADVERTISE ONLINE, LAUNDER MONEY
This past Monday, police arrested six people in connection with a scheme to promote and finance brothels throughout the city, including one on 14th Street, the Daily News reported. The six suspects reportedly built websites for the brothels and are being charged with money laundering.

The websites went by the names “One Hour Girlfriend,” “Kiss Kiss Pop” and “Shake Shake Girls,” and showed photos of prostitutes from the brothels. Police said that Kwong Kyu (Kevin) Kim and Hyun Kyung (Jay Hee) Han, who are married, and Hong Nae (Diane) Yi reportedly issued high-interest loans to brothel owners in Manhattan and set up bank accounts to keep money going into and out of the brothels. Court documents said that Han owned the brothel on 14th Street, as well as one on 39th Street. Additional suspects Beirne (Michael) Lowey, Tien Chih Wang and Zhengyi (Allen) Lu allegedly helped to set up web pages and ads for the brothels.

Police said that Lowey, who allegedly photographed the prostitutes, was seen placing stickers advertising the websites on light posts, parking meters and other surfaces on Third Avenue between East 10th and 31st Streets.

Wang and Lu allegedly used bitcoin to purchase advertising credits on Backpage.com, which was seized by the federal government in April, and the suspects reportedly resold the credits on their own website.

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Police Watch: Man arrested for punching women, Woman accused of stealing purse

JOHN DOE ARRESTED FOR PUNCHING WOMEN
Police arrested a 19-year-old John Doe for an assault that took place at the corner of Third Avenue and East 17th Street on Thursday, October 4 at 6:14 p.m. The victim told police that she was walking west on East 17th Street when the suspect walked up to her and punched her in the face without provocation. A witness told police that the man had punched another woman in the face as well but that victim was not at the scene by the time police arrived. The victim told police that she had pain on her upper lip and redness on her palm from when she fell on the ground. The suspect was referred to as a John Doe by police because he had no ID when arrested.

WOMAN ACCUSED OF STEALING PURSE AT PARK
Police arrested 38-year-old Dominique Eligin for an alleged theft from the corner of Madison Avenue and East 26th Street on Tuesday, October 2 at 12:48 p.m. Police said that Eligin grabbed the victim’s purse from a bench along the park and fled east on East 26th Street towards Park Avenue South, but the victim caught up with her and allegedly recovered the property from inside her backpack. Eligin was charged with grand larceny, possession of stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.

MAN BUSTED FOR EQUINOX BURGLARY
Police arrested 50-year-old William Clanton for an alleged burglary from the Equinox at 315 Park Avenue South during the overnight hours of September 8. Police said that Clanton forced open the door to the gym at 2 a.m. and allegedly stole clothing and electronics. Clanton was arrested for burglary and theft inside the 13th Precinct on Wednesday, October 3 at 9:15 a.m.

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