Crime Watch

BY JERRY DANZIG

Police Arrest Fighting Food Vendors There are food fights, and then there are food vendor fights. At 8 a.m. on Saturday, September 2, a 34-year-old male food vendor was getting ready for work inside 503 Broadway when he was assaulted by three other male food vendors working at the same location, police said. A 39-year-old male witness saw the trio set upon the victim, with one of the men holding some type of metal instrument in his hand that he used to assault the victim before throwing it in the back of their work truck. The victim was treated by EMS on the scene for pain to his groin area as well as an injury to his chest and neck. He was then removed to a hospital for further observation. Carlos Lopez-Pizarro, Marco Vial, and Eduardo Latin-Cisterna were arrested on assault charges later that day.

Mugger Scores MedsOne bad guy got away with very little after a recent mugging. At 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, a 36-year-old man was walking to his car at the southeast corner of Water and Dover Streets when a man wearing a black hoodie came up from behind, put his hand over the victim’s mouth, held a sharp instrument to his neck, and said, “Give me your wallet, money, and phone!” The victim told the robber he didn’t have any money and that he had left his wallet and phone at home, according to police. The robber also took the victim’s bag of medication and fled eastbound on Dover. The victim suffered a small cut to the left side of his neck but refused medical attention at the scene. The items stolen included Percocet, Gabapentin, blood pressure medications and more.

Armed Robbery at ATMAt 12:35 a.m. on Thursday, August 31, a 27-year-old woman stopped at the Santander Bank branch inside 2 Gold Street to withdraw money. As she was taking cash from the machine she saw a 45-year-old man attempting to open the door to the ATM vestibule. Once inside, the man stood behind her watching her withdraw the money before saying, “Give me a thousand dollars right now!” according to the police account. The woman told the man that she did not have that kind of money, at which he pulled up his shirt, drew from his waistband a black firearm that he displayed to her, and said, “Give me what you got.” She handed over $160 to the man and emptied her purse to show him she didn’t have any more money. The man then fled westbound on Maiden Lane toward Broadway. Police searched the area later but couldn’t find the bandit.

Unsafe Storage RoomOne bike owner discovered that his ride wasn’t secure even in his doorman building’s locked bicycle storage room. At 3:20 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, a 26-year-old man placed his gray/red Cannondale CAAD12 in a locked bicycle storage room inside 325 North End Avenue. His bike was missing when he next went to retrieve it on on Friday, September 1. The Cannondale is valued at $2,549.

Radio CallAt 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, September 3, a 29-year-old man parked his Polaris motorcycle in front of 225 South End Avenue. When he returned at 8 a.m. the following morning, he discovered that his radio had been removed and the front bumper was showing minor damage. Police searched the area but couldn’t locate the thief or the stolen radio. The motorcycle’s radio was valued at $1,200.