Cops shoot machete man
An emotionally disturbed man armed with a machete was shot during a confrontation with 67th Precinct police officers.
Officials said that they were called to a building on East 94th Street near Kings Highway at 11 p.m. on February 28 on a 911 call about an emotionally disturbed man with a weapon.
When they arrived at the scene, the unidentified man confronted them, waving his machete as they approached.
Police said one of the officers opened fire, striking the man one time in each leg. The man was then rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition after treatment.
The shooting was still under investigation as this paper went to press.
Clever clerk
He was mad as hell and he wasn’t going to take it anymore.
A clerk for a Flatbush Avenue convenience store turned the tables on a shoplifter last week, thanks to one hot cup of coffee.
Police said that the clerk was at his wits end when 30-year-old Khaleed Shaheen once again came into the store near East 31st Street at 1:45 a.m. on February 25 — in the middle of the snowstorm — and again took a beer without paying for it.
Shaheen, who used to work at the deli, then turned to another worker, and claimed to have a gun.
In a move that appeared to be part instinct, part outrage, the teller threw hot coffee on Shaheen, then dragged him into the basement. He then locked the basement door and called 911 to have Shaheen picked up.
According to published reports Shaheen managed to break out of the basement and run off, but was ultimately apprehended by police, who charged him with attempted robbery.
Cab driver shot
A cab driver was held up at gunpoint in Flatlands Saturday night and got a lot more than he gave.
The 55-year-old victim told police that he was standing outside his car near the corner of East 56th Street and Avenue I during the early-morning hours of February 28 when an unidentified man with a gun approached him.
The thug demanded his money, but the cabbie refused, reportedly fighting the thief off.
The gunman opened fire during the ensuing scuffle, hitting the cabbie in his left hip.
The thief ran off empty-handed, police said. The cabbie was transported to an area hospital, where he was listed in stable condition after treatment.
Cops were still looking for the gunman as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding the thief’s whereabouts is urged to contact the 63rd Precinct at (718) 258-4411. All calls will be kept confidential.
Car looter busted
A nosy neighbor became a life-saver for a handful of motorists last week after he spotted someone breaking into cars in Flatlands.
Cops said that they were directed to East 31st Street between Avenues I and J just after 4 a.m. on February 28 after someone called 911.
When they arrived at the scene, they found 22-year-old Gregory Calixte allegedly looting through a car — the second one he allegedly broke into on the block that night.
Cops took Calixte into custody without incident, charging him with grand larceny.
Gunned down
Cops are looking for the triggerman who ended the life of a 33-year-old in East Flatbush recently.
Police said that they were called to East 95th Street between East New York Avenue and Rutland Road just before midnight on February 9 on a report of shots fired.
When they arrived at the scene, they found Sheldon Christopher suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward.
Calls can be made to the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Help wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are now offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can lead them to graffiti vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti, which is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police.
Officials said that cleaning up graffiti is essential to the plan, to show that the community is no longer going to tolerate marred and tagged-up walls and street corners.
According to police, there is a perception that if a community will tolerate graffiti, they will tolerate other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and prostitution.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.
