Violent vendor
A man, 23, visiting from South Korea, agreed to buy a music CD from a man selling them at the corner of Prince St. and Broadway in Soho around 5:30 p.m. Sat., July 23, police said. When the foreigner took out his wallet to pay for the item, the suspect grabbed it and punched him, knocking him to the pavement. Police soon arrested Robert Gilmore, 17, and charged him with robbery with the use of force. The victim’s wallet with $541 in cash, credit cards and ID, was recovered.
Icepick attack
A First Precinct police officer on routine patrol at 2:45 p.m. Sat., July 23, saw a man bleeding heavily from his left hand being pursued by a suspect on the southeast corner of Houston and Varick Sts. The victim told the officer that Valentine Richards, 50, had stabbed him. Richards was arrested and charged with felony assault. An icepick, believed to be the assault weapon, was recovered at the scene.
Subway death A man, who jumped onto the express track from a southbound A train platform at Eighth Ave at 14th St. at 3:20 p.m. Fri., July 22, to retrieve his cell phone, was killed when the train came into the station before he could climb back onto the platform, police said. Vit Lukacik, 60, of Ridgewood, Queens, was declared dead at the scene.
Witnesses said the victim put his backpack on the platform floor at the station’s north end and jumped onto the track while the train was approaching.
Police were not able to find the cell phone. Power was shut off on the express track between Canal St. and Columbus Circle until 4:45 p.m.
Pees, hits cop and flees A suspect who was urinating on a car parked at the curb in front of 114 Christopher St. at 4:44 a.m. Sun., July 24, fought with police officers who tried to arrest him. In the struggle, the suspect hit one of the officers in the eye. The incident was captured on videotape. The suspect, last seen fleeing south on Hudson St. from Grove St., was described as black or Hispanic, of thin build, 5 feet 8 inches tall, between 20 and 25 years old and sporting a goatee. He was dressed in a white tank top and blue jeans. Anyone with information is asked to phone Crime Stoppers at 800-577 TIPS (8477), or log onto www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text to 274637 (crimes) and enter TIP577.
14th St. CVS robbers Police are looking for two men in the armed robbery of the CVS store at 81 Eighth Ave. at 14th St. at 2:45 a.m. Fri., July 22. One suspect wielded a black handgun as the duo demanded cash from the registers and then fled on foot in an unknown direction, police said. One suspect was described as a black male, 40 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 180 pounds, with tattooed letters on his neck’s right side, wearing a blue-and-white rugby shirt with a white collar, white shorts, white Nike sneakers, a red-white-and-blue Phillies baseball cap with a “P” on the front and sunglasses.
The other suspect, a black male, 35 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 290 pounds, wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans.
Wild weed arrest Undercover cops bought an unspecified quantity of marijuana from John Ramirez, 24, and Kyle Jackson, 27, who were selling from their car parked in front of 55 Christopher St. at 5:50 p.m. Fri., July 22, police said. However, the buy-and-bust operation turned into a chase, police said. The two suspects sped away, ran two red lights and crashed into another car and injured the driver before they were apprehended, police said. Ramirez and Jackson were charged with sale of marijuana and reckless endangerment.
Cleaned aura for $11K Police finally caught up with Samantha Vlado, whose age was given variously as 22 and 26, arresting her Fri., July 22, and charging her with stealing a total of $11,000 from a woman between Sept. 8 and Oct. 17 of 2007. Vlado did business as “Crystal Energy Readings” out of a first-floor apartment at 3 Horatio St. near Jackson Square, according to police and the complaints filed with the Manhattan district attorney. Vlado inveigled the victim, 54, to make payments over several visits to “clean her aura” and restore her good fortune.
Dueling assault complaints Police arrested a woman and two men for assault in connection with a fight in front of 87 Seventh Ave. South near Barrow St. at 4:45 a.m. Sun., July 24. Nicole Label, 29, charged Michael Hills, 49, with assaulting her and trying to extort $100 from her as a reward if he found her cell phone. Hills charged Label with hitting him with a bottle and inflicting cuts on his head. He also charged Andrew Hernandez, 20, a friend of Label, with assault.
Bungled burglary Two suspects who broke into an apartment at 81 Perry St. through a bedroom window at 3:35 p.m. Wed., July 20, ran into a building maintenance man who was coming in through the front door to do some work in the place while the residents were out. The burglars fled through a kitchen window into a courtyard and got into building across the yard at 270 W. 11th St. But as they were leaving the 11th St. building, police turned up and arrested them. Lamar Cunningham and Rauon Gordon, both 17, were charged with burglary.
False returns The manager of Filene’s Basement at 4 E. 14th St. charged a former employee, Jacqueline Douglas, with stealing $11,642 from the branch between April 9 and July 12 of this year. Douglas rang up fraudulent customer returns and pocketed the money, the charges say.
Albert Amateau
