Police Blotter
Chelsea rape
A man who identified himself as a police officer raped and robbed a masseuse in her W. 23rd St. studio-residence on Saturday evening March 1, police said.
The victim, 32, told police the suspect entered her apartment at about 6:10 p.m. representing himself as a customer, but he later said he was a police officer and threatened to arrest her if she didn’t submit to sex.
When she refused, he punched her in the neck, forced oral sex on hear, then had intercourse with her and stole $2,000 in cash before he fled, police said.
The suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his 20s or 30s, 5’8” and about 170 pounds wearing a dark jacket and dark trousers.
Village rape attempts
Police are looking for a man who attacked two women in the Village within 15 minutes of each other on Sun. March 2 and tried to rape them.
The first victim, 30, got out of a cab near Our Lady of Pompeii school at Bleecker and Carmine Sts. at about 2:15 a.m. when the suspect knocked her down and tried to remove her pants but fled when she fought and screamed, police said. A moment or two later he attacked her again while she was on her cell phone to 911, and he fled when she screamed.
The second victim, 26, was talking on her cell phone after getting out of a cab on Barrow St. between Greenwich and Hudson Sts. around 2:30 a.m. about six blocks from the first attack when the suspect grabbed her, tore at her clothes and tried to drag her into a basement stairway before fleeing, police said. The suspect was described as a Hispanic man in his 20s, about 5’7”, 140 pounds and wearing a baseball cap and a dark hooded pullover. Police asked the public to call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) with any information.
Fatal on 23rd St.
A U.S. Postal Service truck struck and killed a man at 5 a.m. Wed., March 5 as he was crossing W. 23rd St. at the southwest corner of Seventh Ave., police said. The victim Carlos Flores, a Bronx resident, was declared dead at St. Vincent’s Hospital an hour later. The driver of the truck remained at the scene and was not charged.
Injured in hit-run
A woman, 45, was crossing W. 19th St. at the northeast corner of Eighth Ave. at 10:30 p.m. Sat., March 1 when a black livery cab made a quick turn from Eighth Ave., struck the victim in the crosswalk and knocked her down, police said. The victim told police the car slowed for a moment but sped away when she got up. She sustained a knee injury.
Death threat
An employee of Gerry’s, a clothing boutique at 110 Eighth Ave., saw a man making off with two pairs of jeans and a leather belt without paying for them shortly after 4 p.m. Sat., March 1. She stopped the suspect just outside the shop, took back the merchandise and later told police the suspect said, ”I’ll be back and I’ll [expletive] kill you.” The suspect, described as a white man, about 40, with short blond hair, 5’10” and 180 pounds with scars on his face and hands, then fled in a cab.
Club killing arrest
Police arrested Eric Lee, 24, of Yonkers for the Jan. 10 shooting death of a patron of Stereo, the club at 512 W. 29th St. and charged him with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police tracked down Lee on Feb. 22 from information derived from the scanner that Stereo and other West Chelsea clubs use to check the ID of patrons as they entered. Lee will be arraigned April 3 for the murder of Brione Schneider, 32, outside Stereo during an argument that began on the club dance floor.
Meat market robbery
Police arrested a man and a woman for beating and robbing a couple coming out of a restaurant on W. 16th St. between Ninth and 10th Aves. at 9:52 p.m. Mon., March 3. Glenwood Williams, 25 and Devita Russell, 24, both residents of the Robert Fulton Houses, were charged with two counts of second degree robbery for taking cell phones and credit cards from the victims, police said. They were freed on bail pending a June 16 court appearance.
Computers missing
A supply supervisor at Fashion Institute of Technology discovered on Feb. 12 that a total of 12 laptop computers were missing from a sixth-floor storage room at 236 W. 27th St. The supervisor then installed a hidden surveillance camera, which recorded the images of two FIT employees in the storage room who had no authority to be there, police said.
Big ink
The manager of a store on Ninth Ave. near 21st St. discovered during an inventory check on Thurs., Feb. 28 that computer ink cartridges with a total value of more than $1,000 were missing. A check of the surveillance tapes for that month showed an unknown man in the place taking cartridges from the shelf, police said.
Bicycle thief
A 10th Precinct police officer spotted a man with a deadbolt cutter snipping the locks on bicycles outside Rocco’s Pizza, 162 Seventh Ave. near 20th St. on Sat. afternoon March 1 and arrested Carl Hollingsworth, 43, as he was riding away on a Trek Mountain bike valued at $1,000, police said. The defendant pleaded guilty to possession of burglary tools and stolen property, and was awaiting sentencing on March 7.
Gansevoort Market brawl
Police arrested Pablo Ravazzani, 42, at 1:50 a.m. Sun., Feb. 24 outside Kiss and Fly, a club at 407 W. 13th St., after a fight in which one man was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked in the head. Ravazzani received a desk appearance summons for a March 25 court date on an assault charge.
Arrested again
Richard Young, 42, pleaded guilty on Feb. 26, to shoplifting an MP3 player from a Circuit City branch at 52 E. 14 St. on Jan. 31 and was sentenced to time served, according to a spokesperson for District Attorney Robert M. Morgethau. He was arrested again on March 1 for entering a cell phone retailer at 1099 Broadway near 24th St. armed with a box cutter, menacing an employee and stealing a phone. Young was being held in lieu of $10,000 bail pending a March 7 court appearance.
— By Albert Amateau
