Natural gratification
A 30-year-old man was taken into custody on May 27 after he was caught “handling himself” during a late night visit to Bensonhurst’s Lt. Joseph Petrocino Park.
Police said that they spotted Jeremias Garcia sitting on a bench inside the park on New Utrecht Avenue, which is near 70th Street, at 11:30 pm and were about to nab him for being in a public park after dusk, but quickly learned he was otherwise engaged — he was playing with himself.
Cops told Garcia to button up and attempted to take him into custody, but he refused to comply with the cops. He was ultimately arrested after a brief struggle, charged with resisting arrest, public lewdness and criminal possession of a weapon — a gravity knife cops found in his bag.
Memorial Day beat down
A 26-year-old man was arrested on June 1 after he allegedly attacked another man on West 23rd Street.
Prosecutors allege that John Cachola attacked his victim during a dispute between Mermaid and Neptune avenues at 7:30 pm on May 31 when he attacked, striking the other man in the face and body.
The victim sustained some light injuries, but was otherwise uninjured.
Cachola was arrested the next morning after a brief investigation, charged with assault in the third degree, menacing and harassment.
Blade bummer
A thief pulled a knife on a woman on May 30, but failed to run off with her bag, officials said.
The victim told police that she was walking down 18th Avenue when the suspect, identified as Manuel Tambriz, pulled a knife while he tried to pull her purse and a plastic bag away from her, but ended up running off empty handed.
Police said that they arrested the 40-year-old thief the day after the 11 pm attempted robbery on 18th Avenue between 76th and 77th streets.
Guider goon
Cops were called to Guider Avenue on May 25 when a domestic spat ended with a woman getting hit in the head with a bottle.
Police said they showed up at the home, which is between East 11th and East 12th streets, at 8:30 pm after a 26-year-old man threw a bottle at a relative during an argument.
The bottle bounced off the victim’s head leaving her with a small injury.
Police charged the unnamed 26-year-old the next day with assault, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
Beaten off bench
A 57-year-old woman was knocked off a bench on West 23rd Street near Neptune Avenue on May 27 after an argument with a heavy-handed 63-year-old sitting beside her.
Police said that the suspect, identified as Ali Wright, was arguing with the woman as they took in the nice nighttime weather between Neptune and Surf avenues at 3:30 am when he suddenly hit his companion in the face.
The woman fell off the bench, striking her head on the concrete as Wright beat a hasty retreat.
Cops caught up with Wright the next day, charging him with assault.
Homecrest hooligans busted
Cops have arrested half of a teenage burglary crew responsible for breaking into a Homecrest Avenue home on May 27.
Police said that a neighbor saw the two teens scale a ladder to the second floor patio of the home, which is located near Shore Parkway. The witness called police after the thieves opened the patio door at 1:10 pm.
One of the teens, later identified as 17-year-old Salman Naseer, was seen exiting out the front door with a Nintendo DS and several video games.
Responding officers took Naseer into custody without incident, charging him with burglary in the second degree. His accomplice remained at large as this paper went to press.
Seagate smack
A handyman attacked a Seagate resident with a wrench on May 13 after the victim complained about the 35-year-old’s craftsmanship.
Police said that suspect John Balestire was inside the victim’s apartment on Neptune Avenue, which is near Seagate Avenue, at 6 pm when the younger man lodged his complaint.
During the ensuing argument, Balestire picked up a wrench and struck the tenant in the head, face and hands, leaving him with deep cuts that required stitches.
Balestire was arrested on May 26 after a brief investigation.
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.
