By The TimesLedger
SUNNYSIDE – A Sunnyside man was arrested Saturday afternoon after he allegedly attacked an Arabic grocery store employee and police officers who responded to the complaint.
Christopher Sackmann, 31, of 43-39 39th Place, allegedly entered a grocery store at 42-01 Queens Blvd. at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, and made anti-Arabic remarks to the store employee, police said.
Sackmann began punching the store’s refrigerators, then started bleeding before he allegedly turned to the story employee, whose name was not released. Sackmann allegedly wiped his blood on the employee, and started punching him, police said. The employee sustained swelling to the face, but refused medical treatment, police said.
Two officers also sustained minor injuries as they arrested Sackmann. He is charged with assault, harassment, criminal misconduct, and resisting arrest, police said.
Construction worker killed at Forest Hills site
FOREST HILLS – A construction worker from the Bronx was killed when he was accidentally struck with a backhoe at a Forest Hills work site Saturday morning, police said.
Joaquin Martinez, 28, from the Bronx, was working at a construction site at 70th Road and 112th Street just after 8:30 a.m., Saturday, when he was accidentally hit in the head by the machine, police said.
He was removed to Parkway Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Pipe bomb complaints lead to Ridgewood arrest
RIDGEWOOD – A Ridgewood man was arrested on weapons charges after police received complaints Sunday he allegedly had a homemade pipe bomb, police said.
Virgil Popa, 50, of 20-25 Menahan St. was discovered to be in possession of an improvised explosive device, which was determined to be operable, police said. Officers from the bomb squad gained control of the device and disarmed it, police said.
Popa was charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
Two Bryant students stabbed behind school
ASTORIA — Four 16-year-old boys got into a fight outside Bryant High School at the corner of 48th Street and Broadway that left two of them with slash wounds Tuesday morning, police said.
Christopher Greene, 16, of 118-06 193rd St. and Rudi Tavaras, 16, of 35-44 95th St., were arrested and charged with assault, police said.
They allegedly stabbed their two rivals, one in the hand and the other in the arm, during a fight that broke out around 11:30 a.m. on the street behind the school, police said.
Both victims were taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center in stable condition.
Man shot in Queensbridge, listed in stable condition
QUEENSBRIDGE – A 37-year-old man was shot by an unknown assailant early Saturday morning, police said.
The man, whose name was not released, was shot in the right leg by an unidentified person at the corner of 24th Street and Queens Plaza North, police said. The victim was removed to Elmhurst Hospital Center in stable condition.
Police were unsure of the motive behind the shooting. No arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.
Man claims bias in dispute with neighbors in Ridgewood
RIDGEWOOD – A 50-year-old man reported being harassed by neighbors following a dispute at about 12:15 p.m. Sunday, police said.
The victim, whose name was not released, told police at the 104th Precinct that he and his neighbors were arguing when they began to harass him and call him anti-gay names, police said.
The incident had been deemed a possible bias incident, and the investigation was continuing.
No. 7 train strikes, kills man in Jackson Heights
JACKSON HEIGHTS – A 64-year-old man was killed late Saturday night when he was struck by a Manhattan-bound No. 7 train, police said.
Raphael Herrera, of 40-50 Denman St. in Elmhurst, was standing on the platform at the Junction Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue station as the train pulled into the station just before 11 p.m. Saturday, police said. As the motorman passed the victim, the train’s emergency breaking system stopped the train. Herrera was found dead underneath the train. It was unclear how Herrera came to be on the tracks, police said.
The medical examiner was to determine the cause of death, and the investigation was continuing.
Forest Hills doc charged with poisoning wife: DA
FOREST HILLS – A Forest Hills physician, whose wife was charged last month with having set fire to his medical office, has himself now been charged with spiking her cranberry juice with Risperdal, a powerful anti-psychotic drug.
Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said Allan Levin, 52, of 1698 Route 25A Laurel Hollow in Syosset, L.I., was charged with reckless endangerment, attempted assault and endangering the welfare of a child because his wife drove herself and their child in their automobile while dangerously over medicated.
Brown said Levin’s wife and daughter both drank the cranberry juice he allegedly poisoned.
Levin faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Woman abducted in Manhattan, raped, dropped in Jamaica
SOUTH JAMAICA – Three men abducted a 21-year-old woman in Manhattan early Sunday, then drove around for two hours while one of them raped her before dropping her off in South Jamaica, police said.
The woman, whose name was not released, later told police she was forced into a dark-colored car, possibly a Ford, at 46th Street and 11th Avenue about 3:30 a.m. Sunday, police said.
They eventually drove to 179-24 Linden Blvd. in South Jamaica where they dropped her off. She was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
No arrest had been made, and the investigation was continuing.
Man killed, two others hurt in Jamaica drug shootout
JAMAICA – A 39-year-old man was shot and killed, and two others were injured after a dispute at 110-17 169th St. early Tuesday, police said.
Glen Arrington, who lived at the address, was arguing over drugs with Kenneth Webster, 42, of 221-10 112th Ave. in Jamaica, at about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, when Webster pulled out a gun and allegedly shot Arrington, police said. A second victim began fighting with Webster, and allegedly stabbed him in the head, police said. Webster was arrested and taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in stable condition. The second victim suffered bruises to the body and was taken to Queens Hospital Center in stable condition.
Police recovered a 9-mm. gun at the scene, and the investigation was continuing, police said.
Man shot several times on Jamaica street
JAMAICA – An 18-year-old man was shot several times by an unknown gunman Sept. 18.
The victim was shot in the neck and chest at about 2:15 p.m. on Sept. 18 in front of 106-14 160th St. He was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital and was listed in stable condition, police said.
Police were unsure of the motive for the shooting. No arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.
Man robs couple, rapes girl in S. Jamaica attack
SOUTH JAMAICA – A 16-year-old girl was raped by a man in his 30s in South Jamaica about midnight Friday, police said.
The girl told police that she and a male friend, 17, were walking near the corner of 120th Avenue and 142nd Street when they were approached by an unidentified man. The man demanded the pair’s jewelry and money before he grabbed the girl and ordered the boy to leave the area, police said.
The man took the girl to an unknown location in a navy four-door vehicle, where he raped her, police said. He then let her out of the vehicle.
She was taken to Jamaica Hospital for evaluation. No arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.
Cambria Heights teacher pleads guilty in sex abuse of kid
CAMBRIA HEIGHTS – A Cambria Heights martial arts teacher pleaded guilty to sodomizing a 12-year-old boy during his karate classes, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.
Paul Edwards, 35, of 232-11 Linden Blvd. was scheduled to be sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years post-release supervision on Oct. 21, Brown said.
The defendant admitted that he sodomized the boy earlier this year at his karate school at 201-06 Linden Blvd., Brown said.
Man, 34, listed as critical after S. Jamaica shooting
SOUTH JAMAICA – A 34-year-old man was shot in the chest just after midnight Friday, police said.
The man, whose name was not released, was shot on the corner of 140th Street and 130th Avenue in South Jamaica. The motive was unclear, police said. He was transported to Jamaica Hospital in a private vehicle, where he was listed in critical condition.
No arrests had been made, and the investigation was continuing.
Man, 19, shot, robbed in Rockaway Sept. 17
ARVERNE – A 19-year-old man was shot in the thigh after he was robbed Sept. 17, police said.
The man was shot after the suspect stole the victim’s chain at about 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 17 at 409 Beach 61st St., police said. The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.
No arrests had been made and the investigation was continuing.
Corrections officer arrested on sex abuse charge
SOUTH JAMAICA – A corrections officer assigned to Rikers Island was arrested within the confines of the 113th Precinct on charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child Friday, police said.
Tatum Wayne, 35, was arrested at 11:45 p.m. Friday, but details of the incident were not available.
New commander placed at Jamaica’s 103rd precinct
JAMAICA – The 103rd Precinct based in Jamaica got a new commanding officer Wednesday.
Deputy Inspector Robert Napolitano took over for Deputy Inspector Robert Thursland as of Wednesday, said Donna Clopton, president of the 103rd Precinct Community Council. Napolitano has been the commanding officer at the 66th Precinct in Brooklyn, according to the Police Department.
It is unclear why the Police Department made the change, but Clopton said Thursland may have been promoted.
