Armed robber
Police are hunting for a cigarette-smoking bandit who has allegedly robbed seven Manhattan convenience stores at gunpoint since November, and whose latest escapade took place in the West Village.
The suspect, pictured above in surveillance footage, entered the Two Friends store, at the corner of Eighth Ave. and Jane St., around 10:20 p.m. on May 4, police said. He then reportedly displayed a handgun, ordered the store cashier to lie on the floor and zip-tied the victim’s hands together. The alleged thug then pulled out a taser and shocked the defenseless clerk several times, according to police.
The suspect then reportedly grabbed $1,800 in cash from the register, along with seven cartons of Newport cigarettes and 29 scratch-off Lotto cards, and fled the scene.
The gun-toting suspect, who had already bagged a total of more than $16,000 (as well as numerous other Newport cartons and scratch-offs) in his six previous robberies, has apparently been moving from north to south across the borough. His first four crimes, between last November and this February, all occurred on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side, police said. His next two hits, in late February and March, were in Midtown East and Gramercy Park, before his May 4 West Village robbery, according to cops.
Townhouse burglar busted
Police arrested Dennis Altamirano, 30, early on May 5 after he allegedly broke into a West Village townhouse.
The resident of the 151 Charles St. townhouse, a 76-year-old man, told cops he woke up around 12:30 a.m. after hearing the sound of breaking glass downstairs. Upon walking down to the ground floor, he was startled by the sight of Altamirano, who was climbing through a window after having bashed it in with a large cobblestone, according to the police report.
“What are you doing here?” the senior reportedly asked, leading Altamirano to turn around and flee the building, police said. After the resident quickly called 911, cops canvassed the area and caught the crook several hours later nearby.
Altamirano was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and possession of burglar’s tools.
Taxi trouble
A crazed cabbie tried speeding away from police during a routine traffic stop early on May 4, but all he wound up spending a night at the precinct.
Officers said they first pulled over Sukhpreet Singh, 25, around midnight, while he was making a left turn from Washington St. onto Horatio St. But when they asked him to hand over his license, the cabbie reportedly said, “F— you, I’m leaving!” and hit the gas.
Singh blew through a stop sign trying to get away, but he soon gave up near the corner of Greenwich and Horatio Sts., just a block away, after he realized that cops were hot on his tail. The police immediately placed him under arrest.
Singh was charged with reckless endangerment and obstructing governmental administration.
Prickly panhandler
Police arrested Francisco Martinez, 48, early on May 5 in the Village after he allegedly attacked a man who refused his panhandling pleas.
The victim, 25, told cops Martinez approached him near the corner of W. Fourth St. and Sixth Ave., around 3:45 a.m., and asked for cash. When the man declined, the beggar reportedly rushed at him, pulled out a sharp scrap of metal and tried to slash him, police said.
Nearby officers on patrol quickly spotted the incident and intervened before the victim suffered any injuries. Martinez was charged with attempted assault and criminal mischief. After being booked at the precinct, he was also linked to an East Village theft in October, and was slapped with an additional charge of petty larceny, police said.
Surprise attack
Police arrested William Curtis, 52, early on May 2 after he allegedly pummeled another man near Sheridan Square and stole his neck chain.
The victim, 48, told officers he was walking along Christopher St., near Seventh Ave., around 3:45 a.m. when Curtis suddenly walked over and punched him in the face, dropping him to the pavement. Curtis then reportedly whacked the fallen man several more times, after which he snatched the chain and ran away, police said.
But after the victim flagged down a passing police cruiser, officers canvassed the area and soon apprehended Curtis nearby. He was reportedly carrying the stolen chain, and was charged with robbery and grand larceny.
Subway snatch
Police arrested Daniel Giler, 29, early on May 2 after he allegedly snatched a man’s cell phone while riding the subway out of the Meatpacking District.
The victim, 18, told police he was on a Brooklyn-bound L train that had just left the Eighth Ave. station around 4:30 a.m., when he felt a tug on his pants. After checking his pockets and looking around, he realized his Samsung Galaxy was no longer in his, but was instead in Giler’s hands. The alleged thief dashed into a different car. But it was to no avail, as he was apprehended by transit police after the train pulled into the Sixth Ave. station.
Giler was charged with grand larceny.
Sam Spokony
