Lost lunch
A traffic agent about to write a ticket on an illegally parked car was assaulted on May 14 — with a slice of pizza.
Cops said that agent was walking along 18th Avenue between Bay Ridge Parkway and 76th Street when he spotted a 2010 Mitsubishi Galant parked at a hydrant. Its owner, 33-year-old Jason Rosa, was sitting on the hood of the car, munching down on a slice.
The traffic agent asked Rosa to move his car but the motorist refused, claiming he wanted to finish eating his pizza first.
Setting aside diplomacy, the agent began writing his ticket, a move that outraged Rosa — so much so that he threw his half eaten slice at the city employee.
The slice hit the agent in the leg, ruining his wardrobe more than anything else.
But war had been declared. In response, the agent called police, who arrested Rosa for menacing, disorderly conduct and harassment.
Beaten in El Greco
A 22-year-old man was brutally assaulted in the bathroom of the El Greco Diner on May 13 during a heated spat with another customer.
The victim told police that he went in to the bathroom at the eatery, which is on Emmons Avenue and Sheepshead Bay Road, when a man he had a previous argument with attacked.
The suspect punched and kicked the victim repeatedly during the 12:37 am assault — leaving the victim with bruises to his face, head and shoulder.
Cops arrested the assailant, identified as 29-year-old Rafael Fontanez, a short time later, charging him with assault.
Skirting the sale
A 23-year-old woman was arrested last week for being part of a lady-like robbery crew who smuggled fur coats out of a store under their dresses.
Police said that Samirya Osborne and another woman were caught on video tape going into Manzari Luxury Furs, which is on Brighton 11th Street near Brighton Beach Avenue, on both April 6 and April 7.
Each time, Osborne would chat up a worker at the store while her accomplice would gingerly take a fur coat off the rack and cram it up her skirt.
Osborne was identified and taken into custody this week, charged with grand larceny. Her accomplice was still at large as this paper went to press.
Wallet whisk
Two women were arrested after they lifted a wallet off a man on May 14.
Officials said that suspects Crystal Green, 43, and Melinda Pimentel, 30, distracted their victim after they approached him at the corner of Neptune Avenue and West 16th Street at 11:45 pm.
As they kept him busy, they managed to pinch the man’s wallet, which contained $150.
Cops from the 60th Precinct caught up with the two women the next day, charging them with grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property.
Wild ride
A 20-year-old druggie was arrested on May 10 following a wild ride through Brighton Beach.
Officials said that Beka Jandieri was picked up after he was seen swerving in and out of lanes in a Mercedes Benz as he sped through Brighton Beach Avenue and Brighton 11th Street.
He then drove the wrong way down a one way street before he came to a stop on Brighton 11th Street. Cops arrived to find the Mercedes empty with the keys in the ignition and the windows down.
They soon discovered that the Mercedes had been reported stolen back on May 1.
Jandieri was soon located and apprehended, charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal possession of a controlled substance when cops found some heroin stashed in his sneakers.
Rite Aid raid
A 50-year-old woman was arrested on May 15 for allegedly swiping over $1,500 in merchandise from a Bath Beach Rite Aid.
Workers said that Cordelia McDonald somehow managed to remove pricey items from store shelves and put them into her bag.
But a quick thinking worker at the pharmacy, which is on 86th Street between Bay 40th and Bay 41st streets, realized what was going on and apprehended the woman as she left the store around 7 pm.
Officials allege that McDonald was charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property for the shoplifting spree.
Apartment raid
Thieves broke into an apartment on Avenue Y in Sheepshead Bay on May 5, taking a silver laptop computer and $1,000 in cash.
The 34-year-old resident of the unit told police that when he returned to his home, which is between Ocean Avenue and East 19th Street, at 1:30 pm, he learned that someone had forced open his bedroom window and had run off with the loot.
Burger bruise
A man was struck in the face with a bottle on May 8 as he walked through a Burger King parking lot.
The 22-year-old told police that he was coming out of a bar on Coney Island Avenue when he meandered over to the Burger King between Avenues U and V.
That’s when an unidentified man jumped him from behind, hitting him in the right side of the face with the bottle.
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.
