By Tom Tracy
Sheepshead Houses shooting
Two men were found shot inside the Sheepshead/Nostrand Houses on a recent Friday night, cops from the 61st Precinct said this week.
Officials said that police were called to one of the buildings inside the complex near the corner of Nostrand Avenue near Avenue X at 11:30 p.m. on May 2 and found one of the victims in a fifth-floor hallway. The 21-year-old victim had been shot in the face, officials said.
A second victim, 31, was found suffering from gunshot wounds to his lower back and thigh inside a sixth-floor apartment, officials said.
Both men were rushed to area hospitals, where they were listed in stable condition following treatment.
The details of the shooting were still being investigated as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call the 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611. All calls will be kept confidential.
Left in stitches
A man caught wielding a machete needed a doctor’s care after being confronted by two cops responding to a domestic dispute last week, officials said.
Police said that 34-year-old James Otero was removed to Coney Island Hospital needing a stitch and two staples to close a deep gash to his head following his May 4 arrest.
Cops said that they were responding to a noise complaint at his home in the Marlboro Houses on Stillwell Avenue at 5:45 a.m. when Otero allegedly came out of his bedroom with a machete in his hand.
The responding officers immediately pulled their weapons, but Otero allegedly refused to drop it unless the cops lowered their guns first.
After a few tense moments, Otero put down the machete, only to pick it up again a few moments later, police alleged.
Officials said that instead of using their firearms, the cops squirted pepper spray in his face in an attempt to disarm him. Losing his balance, Otero fell and cracked his head on the floor, they alleged.
Otero was ultimately charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
Smoked out of cash
Two heavy smokers are being sought for a gunpoint raid of a Coney Island store where the till was robbed, along with 55 cigars and ten packs of cigarettes, cops from the 60th Precinct said.
Workers at the Sunshine of Coney Island Deli, 2120 Mermaid Avenue said that the two men barreled into the store just before 7:30 a.m. on May 10 and pulled a gun on a worker.
The thieves, who were described only as black males, took $350 from the register, as well as $13 from their victim. They then forced the worker to fork over the cigars and cigarettes he had on display, officials said.
No injuries were reported.
Cops were still looking for the thieves as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 60th Precinct at (718) 946-3311. All calls will be kept confidential.
Dropping everything
Cops in Sheepshead Bay are looking for a gun-toting thief who ordered an 18-year-old to drop everything he had during a recent confrontation, officials said.
Police were told that the victim was passing the corner of Avenue X and East 22nd Street at 11:45 p.m. on May 10 when an unidentified black male stopped him in his tracks and flashed what appeared to be a handgun.
The thief told the victim to drop his cash, jewelry and cell phone on the ground, turn around and walk away, officials said.
Witnesses said that the thief scooped up the property and fled the area in a white car.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
Calls can be made to the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Greed leads to grab
A 37-year-old Bay Ridge mugger who wanted everything his victim had was arrested when he found out that having too much isn’t always a good thing.
Officials allege that William Ortiz of Ridge Boulevard stopped a young woman as she walked down East 2nd Street near Avenue V just after 9 a.m. on May 8.
“Give me everything you have,” he allegedly screamed, before grabbing the woman’s Louis Vuitton bag and running off with it.
A few moments later, Ortiz was allegedly seen lugging the bag, which contained about $600 in cash and a digital camera, through Sheepshead Bay and was charged with robbery, police said.
Crane collapse
Cops and firefighters raced to Hart Place near West 16th Street in Coney Island after a crane gave way and scattered its load.
Workers said that the crane was hoisting some concrete slabs at the site at 10:50 a.m. on May 7 when the boom collapsed.
The 35-year-old worker operating the crane was found unconscious after the anarchy that ensued, and was taken to Coney Island Hospital suffering from anxiety.
Officials from the Department of Buildings investigated the collapse and later determined that “all procedures were properly followed.”
Since the crane was inside the construction site when the collapse took place, no neighboring properties were damaged, officials were told.
