12 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 18, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
police beat COMPILED BY JACOB KAYE AND ROBERT POZARYCKI
101st Precinct
Far Rockaway and Bayswater
Brooklyn man charged in
fatal A train stabbings in
Queens and Manhattan
A 21-year-old man from Brooklyn has
been arrested and charged in connection
with two deadly stabbings along the
A line in Queens and Manhattan, police
sources said on Sunday, Feb. 14.
Rigoberto Lopez, of Butler Street in
Brooklyn, faces multiple charges, including
murder and attempted murder in
connection with the two fatal attacks, as
well as two other non-fatal stabbings that
occurred near the 181st Street station
in Washington Heights between Feb. 12
and Feb. 13.
During a Saturday aft ernoon press
conference at One Police Plaza, ranking
NYPD members indicated the four
attacks between Feb. 12 and 13 may
be connected. Th e incidents prompted
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea
to order an immediate boost in NYPD
patrols throughout the entire subway
system.
Th e two murder victims were discovered
on separate A trains at opposite ends
of the line — in Far Rockaway, Queens
and Inwood, Manhattan — between late
Friday night and early Saturday morning.
Th e fi rst victim, an unidentifi ed man,
was found stabbed while seated on board
A train at the Mott Avenue station in Far
Rockaway, Queens at about 11:20 p.m.
on Feb. 12.
Offi cers from the NYPD Transit
District 23 and the 101st Precinct discovered
the man on a bench inside one
of the train cars with stab wounds to his
torso and neck.
Responding EMS units pronounced
the victim dead at the scene.
Two hours later, cops in Manhattan
responded to the fatal stabbing of a
woman on board an A train that stopped
at the West 207th Street in Inwood — the
line’s northern terminus — at about 1:21
a.m. on Feb. 13.
Th e discovery was made during the
nightly overnight closure period of the
entire subway system, when train cars are
disinfected to guard against the spread of
COVID-19.
Cops from NYPD Transit District 3
and the 34th Precinct, while responding
to a 911 call, found the 44-year-old
woman under the seats on board one of
the train cars with several stab wounds
to her body.
EMS units also pronounced her dead
at the scene.
Anyone with information regarding
the stabbings can call Crime Stoppers at
800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-
PISTA). You can also submit tips online
at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter
@NYPDTips. All calls and messages are
kept confi dential.
104th Precinct
Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle
Village and Maspeth
Police task force busts
suspected Ridgewood
heroin mill home to $12
million worth of drugs
Law enforcement offi cials busted a
major heroin mill in Ridgewood earlier
this month, the offi ce of New York City’s
Special Narcotics Prosecutor announced
on Wednesday, Feb. 10.
Th e Ridgewood home was found to
have around 39 kilograms of suspected
heroin, 1,000 pills of fentanyl and
$200,000 in cash inside when a law
enforcement team comprised of DEA
special agents, NYPD detectives and
New York State Police investigators
made their way inside on Monday, Feb.
8. Th e drugs inside the apartment are
believed to be worth around $12 million,
according to prosecutors.
Four Queens residents were arrested in
connection with the stash house, located
at 63-16 Forest Ave., including Luis
Martinez, who law enforcement offi cials
believe to be the leader of the operation.
Martinez, 48, was charged with operating
as a major traffi cker, criminal possession
of a controlled substance and
criminally using drug paraphernalia
aft er he was nabbed by members of the
New York Drug Enforcement Task Force
as he walked out of the apartment building
on Monday, Feb. 8.
Already conducting surveillance on
the alleged heroin mill, offi cers spotted
Martinez leaving the building with
a backpack around 4 p.m., according to
the authorities.
Offi cers stopped Martinez and searched
his bag, fi nding around $200,000 in cash,
keys to the apartment and four cellphones
inside, law enforcement offi cials said.
Offi cers then made their way to the apartment
and knocked on the door.
Sofi a Medina, 50, answered the door
and offi cers made their way inside, spotting
a host of drug paraphernalia as they
made their way through the apartment,
according to prosecutors.
Offi cers also found two women, Maria
Altagracia Berroa, 54, and Jacqueline
Sosa De Espinal, 43, hiding inside the
bathroom with the lights off .
One of the apartments bedrooms
appeared to be designated for packaging
heroin — inside were over two
dozen brick-shaped packages containing
a kilogram of suspected heroin each
and an additional six kilograms of loose
powder inside smaller bags, according to
law enforcement offi cials.
In addition to the alleged heroin, offi -
cers found 26 cellphones, digital scales,
sift ers, grinders and around 1,000 blue
pills with markings similar to pharmaceutically
produced oxycodone, but suspected
by law enforcement to be counterfeits containing
fentanyl, prosecutors said.
Berroa, De Espinal and Medina were
charged with criminal possession of
a controlled substance and criminally
using drug paraphernalia. All four
of the arrested suspects were arraigned
in Manhattan Criminal Court on the
morning of Feb. 10.
108th Precinct
Long Island City, Sunnyside and
Woodside
Duo hits woman with
skateboard in random
Sunnyside attack: NYPD
Th e NYPD is looking for two men who
attacked a 21-year-old woman with a
skateboard in Sunnyside last month.
On Wednesday, Jan. 27, around 8:30
p.m., a 21-year-old woman was walking
down the street near Queens Boulevard
and 45th Street, when she was approached
by two unidentifi ed men, according to the
NYPD.
Th e two men began to verbally menace
the woman, cops said.
One of the men then spit on the 21-yearold
and the other hit her over the head
with his skateboard, according to police.
Th e attackers then ran off on foot in an
unknown direction.
Th e woman, who sustained pain and
bruising in the attack, refused medical
attention at the scene, according to the
NYPD.
Police describe both men as being
between 20 and 30 years old. Surveillance
footage of the suspects was found in the
moments aft er the attack.
No arrests have been made and the
investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information in regard to
the identity of the suspects is asked to
call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline
at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish,
888-57-PISTA (74782). Th e public can
also submit their tips by logging onto the
CrimeStoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.
com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
THE CITY CLERK
OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
NOTICE O
OF SPECIAL ELECTION
Pursuant to provisions o
of Section 25(b)(1) of the Charter of the City of New
York York, notice notice is is here
hereby given that a special election will be held in the
Borough of Queens, County of Queens, on Tuesday, February 23, 2021,
between the hours of 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM for the purpose of electing a
candidate for the 31st Councilmanic District. Only registered voters in this
district are eligible to vote.
For any information on whether you are eligible to vote or where your poll site
is located, please call (212) V-0-T-E-N-Y-C. TDD for the hearing-impaired is
(212) 487-5496.
The City Clerk of the City of New York
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