By Tom Tracy
Needing medical care A 26-year-old man was arrested on Christmas Eve for allegedly committing a brutal and brazen attack on two FDNY EMS workers, officials said this week. Christian Bueno allegedly surprised his two victims as they sat in their ambulance on the 100 block of Butler Street at 2:20 a.m. on December 24. Witnesses allege that Bueno pulled the male EMS worker out of the ambulance, reportedly without any provocation, threw him onto the sidewalk and began punching him in the face. When the victim’s female partner raced to his aid, Bueno punched the woman in the eye, officials alleged. Cops responded in moments and took Bueno into custody without difficulty, charging him with assault. It was unclear what prompted Bueno to attack the two EMS workers as this paper went to press. Police Officer Eduardo Mercado was credited with Bueno’s capture. Assisted into cell A 23-year-old man was apprehended recently when he was spotted allegedly trying to run away from the motorist he had tried to steal from on Luquer Street, officials said. Police said that Steven Bekka was taken into custody just before noon on December 19 after he had allegedly broken into a car on the 100 block of Luquer Street for a handful of change that he had spotted inside. But his timing was just as bad as his judgment, officials said. As soon as he broke into his car, he was spotted by the vehicle’s 51-year-old owner who began chasing him down the street. The two men ran right by Police Officer Leshawn Croswell of the 76th Precinct, who took Bekka under arrest, charging him with robbery. Teen robber arrest A 15-year-old bandanna-wearing bandit was taken into custody last week for mugging a woman at the corner of Smith and 5th streets, officials said. The victim, 28, told police that she was nearing the corner just before midnight on December 20 when the teen, who was not named because of his age, grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the ground. He then placed a black metal object to her neck and demanded her property. The thief ran off with $35 in cash and the woman’s credit cards, but he didn’t have enough time to spend the ill-gotten gains. Police Officer Adam Raffaele tracked down and arrested the teen moments later, charging him with robbery. Thank God for Fido A four-legged hero got an extra treat last week when he saved his best friend from two muggers, officials said this week. A 44-year-old Court Street resident told police that he was entering his home just before 7 a.m. on December 22 when two unidentified men jumped him from behind. The brutes pulled a gun on the man and demanded to be let into the house. The two men were just about to step across the threshold when they were scared off by the barking of the family dog, who, apparently didn’t like the smell of the two strangers. No injuries were reported, officials said. As of this writing, the two men wanted for this attempted robbery are still at large. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward. Calls can be made to the 76th Precinct at (718) 834-3211. All calls will be kept confidential. Family robbed Cops are investigating the claims of a 52-year-old Lorraine Street woman who said a pair of thugs robbed her of $1300 in front of her grandchild. The woman told police that she was passing the corner of 4th Avenue and 9th Street at 9:30 a.m. on December 18 when the unidentified males grabbed her from behind and stuck a sharp object in her back. The suspects tried to pull the grandchild away from the woman during the robbery, but the 52-year-old would not let go of the boy’s hand, officials said. The thieves took the money and ran off, leaving the victim unharmed, officials said. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward. Calls can be made to the 78th Precinct at (718) 636-6411. All calls will be kept confidential. Drive-thru burglary Cops are looking for a group of lanky thieves who managed to steal $1600 in receipts from an area McDonalds after wriggling through the drive-thru window. Workers at the McDonalds, located at 275 4th Avenue, told police that they opened the eatery for business just before 5 a.m. on December 21 only to be welcomed by an open safe and a shattered drive-thru window. Officials said that the suspects somehow “cut into the safe” in order to get it open. Police believe that the thieves left the restaurant through a side door which was found broken off its hinges. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward. Calls can be made to the 78th Precinct at (718) 636-6411. All calls will be kept confidential. Three versus one Three thugs were arrested last week, charged with stabbing a 19-year-old woman. Police said that 19-year-old Rahmel Bond, 17-year-old Ronell Bond and 16-year-old Tywan Stith, all residents of the 100 block of 3rd Avenue, allegedly attacked their victim inside a building on the 200 block of Wyckoff Street just before 9 p.m. on December 20, stabbing her with a sharp object, causing a superficial wound. Two of the teens were also charged with both punching and beating their victim with sticks, officials said. Cops did not disclose what prompted the attack. Wipe Out Graffiti As the ongoing war against graffiti continues, a $500 reward is being offered to anyone with information about graffiti vandals in their neighborhoods. The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti vandals. Graffiti is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police. Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism is urged to contact either 311 or 911. Shot on New Years Just two hours after the ball fell in Times Square, cops were responding to the nearby Gowanus Houses, where an area man had been shot, officials reported. Police said that the 20-year-old victim was with a group of males outside of the Hoyt Street housing project at 2:30 a.m. when he and his friends got involved in an argument with another group. During an ensuing scuffle, someone pulled a gun and opened fire, striking the 20-year-old in the stomach, officials said. The victim was rushed to Bellevue Hospital where he was listed in stable condition after treatment. 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. ATM scammers sought Two opportunistic thieves are being sought for conning a woman into leaving an ATM machine she had just entered her PIN number into and then emptying her account, officials announced this week. The two men, who were snapped up by a bank surveillance camera, approached their victim at the Municipal Credit Union at 310 Jay Street at 4 p.m. on October 9 and approached their victim just as she had put in her PIN number. The suspects informed the woman that the machine wasn’t working and that she should use another one. The victim followed their suggestion, went to another ATM, then left. The suspects then went to the “malfunctioning” ATM and removed an undisclosed amount of money from her account, which was still on the screen. Cops identified the two thieves as black males in their mid twenties. Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is urged to call the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
