By Bill Parry
Concern about a rise in gang violence in Jackson Heights has led two elected officials to arrange for an emergency town hall meeting next week which will bring together representatives of the 115th Precinct, the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the city Parks Department and the city Department of Education’s Gang Prevention Unit.
The summit will take place Thursday, May 26, at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, located at 37-06 77th Street, beginning at 6 p.m. State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) set up the meeting, alarmed by the third gang-related stabbing since March.
In the latest incident, an 18-year-old man was attacked by as many as 10 men just after 8 p.m. May 9, inside the park on 34th Avenue between 77th and 78th streets, according to the NYPD. The victim was playing basketball when he was approached by the group of men dressed in all black.
One asked if he was a member of a neighborhood gang A.B.K., and when he said he was not, a few individuals began to assault him, a police spokesman said.
The victim started to run away when one of the suspects stabbed him in the back with an unknown weapon, which is believed to be a knife, the spokesman said. The victim was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
“We are deeply concerned by reports of a teenager who fell victim to a gang-related crime in Jackson Heights (last week),” Peralta and Dromm said in a joint statement. “We urge anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts to call the police immediately. “
“The city recently added 1,300 additional police officers to the force in order to further reduce crime in our neighborhoods,” they said. “We will continue to do all we can to put an end to gang-related violence. We are working closely with the NYPD to bring these culprits to justice.”
There have been no arrests and the investigation was continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
In other possible gang-related attacks in Jackson Heights, a 16-year-old was walking his dog at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and 80th Street back on March 12, when he was stopped by two men and asked if he was “down with A.B.K.” before he was stabbed in the stomach and his dog was stabbed in the back.
Hours later, a 23-year-old man was stabbed in the back by a man with a sharp object near 80-03 Northern Blvd., according to the NYPD. The suspect referred to A.B.K, which stands for Always Banging Kings, according to the NYPD.
Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparr
