Showing posts with label NYPD. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYPD. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

Wednesday's parting shot

Sunset Park subway shooting subject Frank R. James being transported from the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street this evening several hours after his arrest on First Avenue and St. Mark's Place... 

Thanks to Carol from East 5th Street for the photo.

Videos: Witnesses describe spotting alleged subway shooter Frank James before his arrest in the East Village

Top photo from an impromptu press conference on 1st Avenue by Derek Berg

Two men working outside Saifee Hardware & Garden on the SE corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street are being praised for spotting alleged subway shooter Frank R. James minutes before his arrest this afternoon.

As previously reported, James was the sole suspect in the mass shooting on a crowded subway train and platform yesterday morning in Sunset Park. 

At least 30 victims were treated at four local hospitals following the attack, and all but seven had been released as of this afternoon, per Gothamist

James, wearing a blue t-shirt and brown pants, was reportedly inside the McDonald's on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. According to the Associated Press and other outlets, James called in a tip himself, telling police where he was. 

He was already gone when the police got to the scene. However, Zack Tahhan, who was working for MACA security integrators installing cameras outside Saifee Hardware & Garden, and the shop's manager, Frank Puebla, spotted the alleged shooter walking by on First Avenue.

Puebla said he flagged down an NYPD cruiser from the 9th Precinct that had just stopped at the light on the SE corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street. James was then arrested on the NE corner of St. Mark's Place and First Avenue without incident.

EVG correspondent Stacie Joy was on the scene and filmed this clip of Tahhan recounting what happened this afternoon...

... and here's Puebla telling his story...  

According to NBC 4, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York is considering filing federal criminal charges in the subway attack. The station reported that one potential federal charge being considered is using a weapon/arson on mass transit/train. 

Meanwhile, Saifee is showing its appreciation for the longtime manager...

Updating: Suspect in Sunset Park subway shooting arrested in the East Village

Photo/video by an EVG reader

This just in from St. Mark's Place and First Avenue (the NE corner) ... the NYPD has arrested Frank R. James, 62, who was named a "person of interest" after the mass shooting on the subway in Sunset Park yesterday morning. 

Here's a short clip after the NYPD cuffed James...

   

Elsewhere... Per published reports, the shooting left 10 people with gunshot wounds and an additional 13 injured from panic attacks or smoke inhalation during the rush to escape. 

Updated 5 p.m. 

According to the Associated Press, James is awaiting arraignment on "a charge that pertains to terrorist or other violent attacks against mass transit systems and carries a sentence of up to life in prison." 

James was reportedly in the McDonald's on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street where several witnesses, including Zack Tahhan, 21, who was working for MACA security integrators outside Saifee Hardware, and the shop's manager, Frank Puebla, spotted the alleged shooter. 

Puebla said he flagged down an NYPD cruiser that just stopped at the light on the SE corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street. (We an interview with Tahhan and Puebla here.) 

CNN is reporting that James called the tipline on himself.

Back to the AP story: 
James was gone when officers arrived, but they soon spotted him on a busy corner nearby. 

Four police cars zoomed around a corner, officers leaped out and, soon, a compliant James was in handcuffs as a crowd of people looked on, witness Aleksei Korobow said.

Officers from the 9th Precinct on Fifth Street made the arrest.

Saturday, April 9, 2022

In Tompkins Square Park, speaking out against the city's sweeps of unhoused encampments

Photos by Stacie Joy

More than a dozen community groups and mutual-aid networks joined forces for a rally in Tompkins Square Park yesterday to speak out against Mayor Adams' aggressive sweeps of unhoused encampments across the city, including one Wednesday on Ninth Street in the East Village. 

Speakers at the rally called for an end to the encampment sweeps ... while providing safe housing for New Yorkers living on the streets.

The rally, which drew 100-plus supporters, took place at the chess tables in the Park's SW corner. Before the event, several people removed the barricades from this space that the NYPD placed here late last summer after clearing out an encampment.
 
The speakers included Sinthia, one of the unhoused residents who was living on Ninth Street...
 

The rally came two days after the 7-hour standoff on Ninth Street outside the former P.S. 64 between a group of activists and unhoused residents and reps from several city agencies. 

The NYPD eventually arrested seven people while a sanitation crew tossed some of the residents' belongings. 

Since then, people have questioned the use of dozens of officers from the NYPD, including members of the Strategic Response Group and the Technical Assistance Response Unit, over four tents. 

"It was awful, it was stupid, and it was violent," said Helen Strom, director of homeless advocacy for Safety Net Project. 

Strom also said it was dehumanizing to watch homeless people and advocate in a seven-hour standoff with police and a Sanitation crew looking to clear up their encampment on an East Ninth Street sidewalk.  

"What the mayor should be doing is he should be sending out housing specialists to get people into apartments, instead of spending hundreds of thousands of tax payer money on police," she said. Strom said it was a total waste of resources, since the unhoused individuals refused to go to a shelter, fearing for their safety. 
As Politico noted
The new mayor will face an uphill battle in actually compelling people to leave the streets and go into the city’s shelter system, which is considered unsafe by many who have taken refuge under bridges, on sidewalks and in the subways. Elected officials and advocates for homeless people warn the city lacks capacity to offer people other options, and say the push is an unwelcome return to failed policies of the past. 
During an interview yesterday on WNYC's "The Brian Lehrer Show," Adams defended the sweeps," saying "he was working to preserve the 'dignity' of homeless New Yorkers," as Gothamist reported

"When I looked at some of those encampment sites...I saw people living in human waste," the mayor said. "Drug paraphernalia, no showers, no clean clothing. Living like that — that is not dignified." 

During a press conference with clergy members on Thursday, Adams said that the Four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, would have done the same thing. 

Yesterday's rally included a march to the former P.S. 64 ... and eventually to Washington Square Park...
... and then back to Ninth Street between B and C...
Meanwhile, a few of the residents who were the subject of Wednesday's sweep moved nearby along Avenue B...
The NYPD photographed the tents this morning... with another sweep likely in the days ahead...

NYPD seeks suspect accused of endangering the welfare of a minor


Police are searching for a suspect wanted in connection with endangering the welfare of a minor. 

The incident happened on March 16 just before 8 a.m. near Fifth Street and Avenue C. According to NYPD officials, the suspect approached a 12-year-old girl and asked her to accompany him. The man fled after a good Samaritan intervened. Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Standoff on 9th Street

Photos by Stacie Joy

Today was a long, tense day on Ninth Street between Avenue B and Avenue C. The NYPD arrested seven people following a seven-hour standoff between a group of activists and unhoused residents and reps from several city agencies.
By late afternoon, the NYPD — who called in reinforcements from the Strategic Response Group and the Technical Assistance Response Unit — arrested six activists and one unhoused resident along a corridor dubbed "Anarchy Row."
As previously reported, about a half-dozen unhoused residents have been living in tents under the sidewalk bridge alongside the long-empty former P.S. 64 on Ninth Street. Previous attempts to move the residents into shelters had been unsuccessful.

After the arrests this afternoon, sanitation workers came in and swept the block ... tossing the tents and any belongings the residents didn't take with them. (It was not immediately known what happened to the other residents who were staying here.)

Law enforcement reps on the scene said that the architecture of the tents were illegal. So people could sleep on the street; they just couldn't have tents.
As Gothamist reported, today's sweep was "the latest flashpoint over Mayor Eric Adams' controversial push to clear the city of homeless encampments."

The actions, involving dozens of city employees over seven hours, drew criticism ... And the city's response... Here's a video showing part of what transpired today...

 

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

9th Precinct now issuing tickets to anyone parking in Neighborhood Loading Zones

Here's a warning for anyone who continues to park long-term in Neighborhood Loading Zones. 

The NYPD is now writing tickets for anyone who uses the Department of Transportation's recently added Neighborhood Loading Zones around the East Village for anything other than quick pick-ups and drop-offs.
From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, these spaces are reserved for activities such as: 
• Package deliveries by commercial vehicles 
• Taxi and car service pick-up and drop-off
• Active loading and unloading of personal vehicles 

However, given the number of people parking long-term in these spots during the week, the 9th Precinct and the Manhattan Traffic Enforcement Unit recently started enforcing violations to noncommercial plate vehicles in these spaces. 

"We'd rather educate and inform people than write summonses," Officer Eugene Adeleye at the 9th Precinct told EVG correspondent Stacie Joy. "We've been getting complaints from residents and we will be actively writing summons to violators." 

Previously, the NYPD would issue tickets in these spots, but it was mainly at the discretion of the officer/traffic agents. 

As for commercial vehicles that continue to double-park on the street and block a bike lane, Adeleye said: "The trucks loading and unloading are not supposed to interfere with bike lanes, and if they do that is a violation, and they may get tickets themselves." 

Adeleye also said that he was sympathetic to residents upset at the loss of parking spots in recent years, from outdoor dining structures to Citi Bike docking stations.

"We are only doing this based on complaints we've received with no intention of giving anyone a hard time — that's why we are trying to educate people as much as we can," he said. "I feel like if people are aware, then they might be able to avoid getting an unnecessary summons."

Saturday, March 5, 2022

9th Precinct collecting medical supplies for Ukraine humanitarian relief

A group of NYPD officers of Russian and Ukrainian descent has launched a citywide campaign to help Ukrainians after Russia's unprovoked invasion. 

The requested items in this humanitarian effort are limited to first-aid kits, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, aspirin, bandages, gauze and tourniquets. 

You can find donation boxes at all 77 NYPD precincts in NYC. 

Closer to home, EVG correspondent Stacie Joy stopped by the 9th Precinct yesterday, where she ran into Det. Jaime Hernandez of Community Affairs ...
The drive runs through March 11. 

The 9th Precinct is at 321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Cops searching for dapper gun-toting suspect who robbed the Villager Smoke Shop

ICYMI: The NYPD is searching for a well-dressed suspect they say robbed the Villager Smoke Shop on Ninth Street near Avenue A on Jan. 1. 

According to published reports (the Post, NBC 4, Daily News, etc.), the man, dressed in a vest and suit jacket, flashed a gun at the clerk around 9:15 p.m. 

Per CBS 2:
Police say the suspect first asked about some products before showing the store worker a pistol and threatening to kill him. 
The suspect stole the employee's phone and headphones along with about $700 from the register, police said. 
The suspect is described as approximately 6-2, with a light complexion, thin build, with black hair. He was last seen wearing a black facemask, a dark dress jacket, a gray dress vest, a white dress shirt, gray pants and black shoes.
Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential.

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

Driver fleeing police charged in the hit-and-run death of delivery worker on Houston Street

The DA's office has indicted the hit-and-run driver who killed delivery worker Borkot Ullah as he crossed Houston Street at Clinton/Avenue B this past July.

According to the DA's office and published reports, 23-year-old Bronx resident Kenrick Cowan has been charged with manslaughter in the second degree, assault in the second degree, and leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death without reporting, among other charges, for fatally striking Ullah. According to Streetsblog, who first reported on this indictment, the top charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years.

Authorities said that Cowan was arrested last month by the NYPD's Bronx Warrants Squad for an unrelated shooting in the Bronx and was later charged with killing Ullah, who was 24.

Around 10 p.m. on July 8, an unmarked police car pursued Cowan. Per the DA's statement:
NYPD officers attempted to pull Cowan over for speeding and committing other traffic violations as he drove his Subaru Outback eastbound on East Houston Street ... Cowan led the police officers on a high-speed chase, weaved through traffic, and drove through a red light at the corner of East Houston and Clinton Streets, where he struck Ullah — who was riding his bicycle north on Clinton Street — and then fled the scene.

As Streetsblog previously reported, a police chase preceded the collision, though the NYPD declined to comment on the case. 

Ullah is reportedly one of 13 delivery workers who have died this year in NYC — with at least 10 in crashes while on the job.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said this in a statement from this past Thursday:

"Today we remember Borkot Ullah, a young immigrant and workers' rights advocate who worked tirelessly to support his family here in New York City and in Bangladesh. Food delivery workers have one of the most dangerous jobs in the City thanks to reckless drivers who tear through our streets. We are committed to ensuring accountability for drivers that kill or injure cyclists and pedestrians ..."
GoFundMe campaign raised more than $30,000 to help Ullah's family both here and in Bangladesh with expenses. His body was returned to Bangladesh, where he was buried on July 15.

This fall, a ghost bike was installed outside 8-10 Avenue B in Ullah's memory.

Friday, October 22, 2021

Report: Police shoot at man threatening people with a knife on Houston and the Bowery

According to published reports, police shot at a man threatening people with knives during the morning rush (8:45) along the Bowery at Houston. 

Media accounts described the suspect as an "emotionally disturbed man." 

Per PIX11: "According to police, the officer fired one round but missed the man." 

Starting around 8:40 a.m., the unhinged man cut a bizarre path from outside the Butcher's Daughter, a cafe on Kenmare St., to the Bowery and then to the corner of Elizabeth and Grand Sts., cops said. He allegedly threatened to stab people along the way. 
Cops found the man at the corner of Houston St. and Bowery. Officers first shot the man with a Taser, but it didn't work, police said. A cop from the 9th Precinct fired off one shot as officers tried to subdue the man, but no one was hit.
The suspect was taken into custody without further incident. 

EVG reader Robert Miner, who shared these photos, reports that the Bowery is closed from Houston to Bleecker ... other parts of Houston are also said to be currently closed to traffic... 
Updated 10:46 a.m.:

And a report via CBS 2...

 

Friday, October 1, 2021

Police looking for suspect who assaulted an Uber driver on 14th and 3rd

The NYPD is looking for a suspect they say struck an Uber driver in the face with a cellphone. 

The attack reportedly happened at 3 a.m. on Aug. 28. Video that the NYPD released this week shows the suspect running east on 14th Street just past Third Avenue. 

Police say that the man was trying to hail the Uber. When Gui Ping Han tried to explain that his car was not for hire, the suspect allegedly hit the driver in the face. 

According to CBS 2 yesterday, the 45-year-old driver may have permanent blindness in his left eye. 

Police did not release a description of the suspect...

Monday, September 13, 2021

Reports: Police arrest suspect in string of groping attacks, including 3 in the East Village

Early Friday afternoon, police reportedly arrested a 37-year-old suspect wanted in connection in a series of groping attacks around the city, including three in the East Village. 

Reward posters had been posted on Avenue A and Sixth Street, where police say the suspect, named as James White, groped an 11-year-old girl on Aug. 26 at 5:40 p.m. 

According to the NYPD and published reports, White allegedly grabbed his victims while riding a red and black Fly-3 moped. The most recent attack took place last Monday in the East Village. 

White is charged with first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor and six counts of forcible touching, according to court records and media accounts.

Monday, August 16, 2021

The NYPD is collecting donations for earthquake victims in Haiti

Every NYPD precinct in the city is now collecting donations for the residents of Haiti after Saturday's 7.2-magnitude earthquake killed more than 1,300 people. 

According to NBC News, the Haiti Civil Protection Agency said that 13,694 homes were destroyed and 13,785 were damaged by the quake. 

The NYPD is accepting donations of: 
• medical supplies 
• personal hygiene items 
• non-perishable food 
• bottled water 
• clothing 

Local precincts include the 9th at 321 E. Fifth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... and PSA4 at 130 Avenue C and Eighth Street.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

Police seeking possible witness to last week's homicide on 1st Avenue

The 9th Precinct has released the photo of a woman they'd like to question regarding the homicide investigation of Marvin Bellamy last week on First Avenue. 

It's not immediately clear if the woman, seen wearing a navy Champion T-shirt and carrying a multicolored bag, was with Bellamy or may have witnessed the attack...
The 37-year-old Bellamy, who lived on the Upper West Side, was found with a puncture wound to his chest in the early morning hours on July 14. (Some reports say he was found between Sixth Street and Seventh Street ... while the latest tweet from the 9th Precinct lists the address as 130 First Ave. — near St. Mark's Place.) He reportedly died later at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. 


Anyone with information that could help in the investigation is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You may also submit tips online. All calls are strictly confidential. 

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

NYPD IDs person of interest in 1st Avenue homicide

The @NYPDnews account today released these images of a person of interest wanted for questioning in connection to the homicide of a 37-year-old man found on First Avenue early last Wednesday morning...
According to published reports, 37-year-old Marvin Bellamy, who lived in the Frederick Douglass Houses on the Upper West Side, was found with a puncture wound to his chest on First Avenue near the McDonald's between Sixth Street and Seventh Street. He reportedly died later at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. 

Per amNY this morning:
A week into the ongoing investigation, police did not disclose a possible motive for the stabbing, or the circumstances leading up to the deadly attack. 
Police sources also did not known of any possible connection between Bellamy and the person of interest, whose image was captured by a nearby security camera on the day of the incident.

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Hate crime arrest made in assault of Asian woman on Astor Place

The NYPD has arrested the suspect wanted in connection with the assault of an Asian woman Sunday morning on Astor Place. The NYPD said they arrested 27-year-old Erick Deoliveira last evening. He has been charged with a hate crime assault and criminal mischief as a hate crime, per ABC 7

According to Gothamist, the man approached the woman, asked for her protest sign, then tore it up. When she asked why he did that, the man allegedly punched her in the face twice, then fled into the entrance for the uptown 6. 

A Good Samaritan who chased after Deoliveira told ABC 7 that the suspect "dropped his underwear and showed his genitalia to everyone on the platform."

The 37-year-old victim, who was on her way to a demonstration against anti-Asian violence with her daughter, suffered cuts and bruising to her lip, and a sprained ankle while trying to chase the assailant.

Monday, March 22, 2021

Hate crime assault of Asian woman reported on Astor Place

Updated 3/23: An arrest was made

The NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is searching for a suspect they say assaulted an Asian woman yesterday morning on Astor Place while she was walking to a demonstration against anti-Asian violence. 

The NYPD released the above video this morning showing the suspect...
Here is part of Gothamist's report:
The latest incident in a surge of attacks on Asian New Yorkers occurred at Astor Place, after an unidentified man approached the woman, asked for her protest sign, then stomped on it, according to police. When she asked why he did that, the man allegedly punched her in the face twice, then fled into a nearby subway station. 
The 37-year-old victim suffered a cuts and bruising to her lip, and a sprained ankle while trying to chase the assailant. 
Rita Chan, an East Village resident who saw the aftermath of the confrontation, said the attack happened in full view of the woman's young daughter. "You could see she was just numb. At one point, a woman approached her and gave her a cookie," Chan told Gothamist. "As soon she saw her mom being put on the gurney, that’s when she started crying. It was heartbreaking." 

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Report: Hate crime investigation on Allen Street as 66-year-old Asian man assaulted

The NYPD's Asian Hate Crimes Task Force is reportedly investigating an assault yesterday morning in which a 66-year-old Asian man was punched on Allen Street just south of Houston... According to the Post:
The unsuspecting victim parked his car in front of 196 Allen St., near Houston Street, around 9 a.m. and was checking to make sure he was in a legal spot when the attack occurred, an NYPD spokesman said.
The police and witnesses described the suspect as homeless. Witness Kat Lam told the paper:
"The homeless man started charging after the elderly gentleman, saying things like, 'If I ever see you around here again, I'm gonna beat your ass.' And, 'I'm just going to beat your ass right now,'" Lam recalled. "He just socked him right in the face, right above the eye. You could tell that this older man was in complete shock. He was just frozen."
The Post reports that the NYPD has recorded a 1,300 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic. 

Gothamist (link here) has more on this story and details on #StopAsianHate rallies today.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

NYPD reps to brief Community Board 3 on the activity around 3rd Street and Avenue C

Tonight, Community Board 3's Transportation, Public Safety & Environment Committee will hear from reps from PSA 4, who patrol public housing, and the 9th Precinct about "public safety issues in the Avenue C/Third Street area."

On Jan. 18, a 36-year-old man was shot and killed here. According to published reports, the man was shot multiple times around 8:40 p.mThe Post reported that three men were seen fleeing westbound on Third Street.

Since then, an NYPD vehicle has been parked on the corner.

Residents have long complained about the drug activity on the southeast corner of Avenue C and Third Street, which has been under a sidewalk bridge now for more than eight years. (The renovations to the three-story building, 32 Avenue C, came to a halt in recent years. A full vacate and stop-work order remain at the address.)

In August 2019, residents posted these flyers on buildings in the immediate area... asking tenants to reach out to the NYPD and local elected officials about the "drugs and hookers at the homeless camp" on the corner...
Tonight's virtual meeting starts at 6:30. The Zoom invite is here

Visit the CB3 website at this link for more details on all this month's CB3 meetings. Tomorrow night, the NYCHA & Section 8 Housing Subcommittee will discuss the conditions at the nearby Mariana Bracetti Plaza housing complex.