12 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 2, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
police beat COMPILED BY JULIA MORO AND BILL PARRY
103rd Precinct
Jamaica Business District,
Hollis Park Gardens, Hollis,
Lakewood and Jamaica
NYPD looking for mugger who
allegedly bludgeoned a man
walking to work in Jamaica
Police from the 103rd Precinct in
Jamaica are on the lookout for a suspect
who assaulted a 65-year-old man who was
walking to work during the morning of
Th ursday, Nov. 11.
Th e assailant approached the victim
around 6:30 a.m. in front of 106-11
142nd St., just down the road from
Norelli-Hargreaves Playground, and
began swinging what appeared to be a
metal pipe at the pedestrian. Th e assailant
demanded the victim’s wallet while
he continued to menace him with the
pipe, police said.
When the victim refused to comply, the
suspect struck him in the head with the
pipe, knocking the man to the ground.
While the victim was on the ground, the
suspect then forcibly removed his cellphone
and fl ed the location on foot to parts
unknown, police said.
Th e victim sustained an injury to his
head and was taken to Jamaica Hospital
Medical Center where he was treated and
released.
Th e NYPD released surveillance images
of the attack that show the assailant swinging
the pipe. He is described as a 5’8” man
with a light complexion, weighing around
150 pounds, with a medium build, last seen
wearing a black winter hat, a dark blue
hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and
black sneakers.
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
nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter
@NYPDTips.
104th Precinct
Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle
Village and Maspeth
Five arrested after riots erupt
in Middle Village following
Kyle Rittenhouse verdict
Police arrested fi ve individuals on the
night of Friday, Nov. 19, aft er alleged
extremists reacting to the verdict of
the high-profi le Kyle Rittenhouse trial
wreaked havoc in Middle Village.
On Friday aft ernoon, a jury found
Rittenhouse not guilty of homicide,
attempted homicide and other charges
relating to the 2020 shootings in
Kenosha, Wisconsin. Th is acquittal
sparked national debate and unrest as
protests erupted throughout the country.
According to NYPD, 40 to 50 people
gathered in Crowley Park in Elmhurst
going from town to town, destroying
property and wreaking havoc. Law
enforcement sources said that around
8:30 p.m. Friday, offi cers observed
a group of people marching through
Middle Village, screaming and throwing
garbage cans into the path of police
vehicles to prevent offi cers from following
them. Th e group also ran up to several
houses to remove American fl ags,
break mailboxes and damage multiple
parked cars.
Councilman Robert Holden said rioters
targeted his district for its support
of police.
“I voted against defunding the police
in the City Council, unlike many of my
colleagues,” Holden said. “I saw what was
going to happen if we did that, and it has
happened. If my community is going to
be targeted, we’re going to fi ght back.”
“Don’t call them protesters. Th ey were
rioters,” Holden said. “Th ey didn’t chant;
they didn’t have signs. Th ey were just
coming into our community, all dressed
in black, only showing their eyes and
breaking things, throwing things and
stomping on cars.”
Th e fi ve men arrested were from
Brooklyn and New Jersey, according
to the NYPD. Charges included reckless
endangerment of property, unlawful
assembly and criminal possession of
a weapon.
According to the NYPD, offi cers confi
scated a hatchet, ax and spray paint. All
fi ve rioters received orders to appear in
the New York City Criminal Court for
arraignment.
Mayor-elect Eric Adams came to stand
with other local offi cials in Middle Village
for a press conference Saturday, Nov. 20,
to support the neighborhood targeted the
night before.
“I was deeply disturbed and angry over
what happened this weekend. It is one
thing to protest at an elected offi cial’s
offi ce, it’s one thing to come to a hearing
and voice your concern, but to come to a
neighborhood and openly destroy property,
be disruptive, that is unacceptable in
our city,” Adams said. “We are not going
to allow this to happen, and we’re going
to send a clear message.”
Holden criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio
in his remarks Saturday and also tweeted
about his statement, saying it fueled
the fi re.
“Our lamest of ducks mayor apparently
thinks he knows better than the jury
in this case,” Holden tweeted in response
to the mayor’s post. “Th is is no time for
dangerous rhetoric that might stir up
civil unrest in our city, just to try to help
his quixotic run for governor.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted, “Th is verdict
is disgusting and it sends a horrible
message to this country. Where is the
justice in this.”
108th Precinct
Long Island City, Sunnyside and
Woodside
I.S. 125 principal fi nds decadesold
weapons in offi ce safe
in Long Island City school
A new principal at I.S. 125 in Long
Island City discovered a safe full of
knives in his offi ce last week — reportedly
seized from students by the prior
administration.
Th e New York Post reported that
Michael Borelli started a new position as
principal this year and opened up the safe
of his predecessor when he noticed the
stash of weapons. According to the article
by the Post, the safe held a gun and a
variety of knives.
Department of Education (DOE)
spokesperson Nathaniel Styer said that
confi scated weapons should be reported
then handed over to the NYPD. Th e previous
administration did not report these
weapons.
“Th ese items should have been reported
to school safety — a standard procedure
our school leaders are trained to follow,”
Styer said. “Th e new school leader at this
school discovered these items, thoroughly
followed proper procedures and immediately
turned them over to school safety,
and this is being thoroughly investigated.”
Th e incident is under investigation by
the Special Commissioner of Investigation
for the DOE. Th e items were vouchered
to the NYPD and never accessible to
students.
NYPD keeps track of the number of
seized weapons, and those reports are
then made public.
Th is news comes aft er weapon seizures
in city schools reportedly increased by
28% this past year. Th e total amount of
weapons seized in the 2018-2019 school
year was 611 compared to 787 in 2021.
Th e weapons most commonly taken
from students are knives and box cutters/
razors, according to NYPD data. In the
2018-2019 school year, over 500 knives
and box cutters were confi scated. Th is
past year, that total dropped to 463, while
other seizures of fi rearms, tasers and BB
guns rose.
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