Queens Gazette

Crime Watch



Walgreen’s Worker Held At Gunpoint In Attempted Robbery
Police are searching for two dirty crooks who tried to swipe detergent from a Walgreen’s Pharmacy at gunpoint on November 27th.
Cops said one of the men walked into the 24-hour pharmacy at 47-07 Broadway in Astoria at about 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday and tried to sneak two large containers of soap out a rear exit, where he was confronted by a 39-year-old worker.
As the two men argued, a second man ran into the store, whipped out a black firearm and threatened the worker, police said.
The thieves suddenly retreated and fled on foot, leaving the detergent behind, police said.
Police have released a surveillance photo of the first man entering the store (see photo) and re urging anyone with information to call the CrimeStoppers HOTLINE or click on www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

Van Hits, Kills Woodside Woman
A 49-year-old Woodside woman was struck and killed while crossing Roosevelt Avenue on Friday morning.
Cops said Norzom Choekyi was crossing Roosevelt Avenue in Woodside at about 9 a.m. on November 29th when she was struck by a van making a left turn from 65th Street.
Choekyi, who lived four blocks from the accident scene, was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center where she died a short while later, police said.
The 70-year-old van driver remained at the scene and was not immediately charged, pending the outcome of an investigation.

Gang Squad Busts 2 In Queensbridge Raid
Members of the NYPD Queens North Gang Squad arrested two individuals on drug and weapons charges during an early morning raid at the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City on November 7th, police said.
Cops said members of the elite gang busting squad executed a search warrant at about 7 a.m. at the apartment of Twyneeka Norville at 41-01 12th Street, where they recovered a loaded Glock 357 .9mm semiautomatic, a .32-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun, a 357 Taurus handgun, a quantity of ammunition, a quantity of crack cocaine and heroin, cash and three cell phones.
Norville, 29, and Stathis Huginnie, 43, were charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance and violation of a local law.
It is unclear if Norville and Huginnie were residing together at the apartment.
Officials at the 114th Precinct tweeted praise of the Queens North Gang Squad, offering congratulations on a job well done.
“Great job by @NYPDQueensNorthGangSquad, removing there firearms and contraband out of #QueensbridgeHouses #onelessgun #it’swhatwedo #nypdprotecting,” the message read.

Workers Thwart Rite Aid Robbery
Workers at a Rite Aid Pharmacy in Astoria are getting kudos for thwarting a robbery at the store on the night of November 20th, police said.
Cops said two men entered the pharmacy on 31st Street near Broadway on Wednesday night and started to swipe cosmetics. When employees confronted the suspects one of the men pulled a large box cutter and threatened to cut them and others inside the store, police said.
The two men fled empty-handed, headed north on 31st Street, an NYPD spokesperson said. There were no injuries.
Anyone with information is urged to call the CrimeStoppers HOTLINE at 1-800-577-TIPS, click on www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or go to Twitter @NYPDTips.

Six-Months For Irish Football Player Death
A 26-year-old Sunnyside man has pleaded guilty to third-degree assault in the fatal punching of a Gaelic football player early on Thanksgiving Day, 2018, Acting Queens District Attorney John Ryan said.
According to the charges, the victim, John “Danny” McGee, and Steven O’Brien, had never met until friends celebrating inside the Gaslight Tavern in Sunnyside introduced them on the night of November 21, 20018.
The two men started to argue at about 3:45 a.m. and the argument spilled outside the bar onto Queens Blvd. near 44th Street, according to the charges. O’Brien punched McGee in the head, and in a tragic turn, McGee fell backward and slammed his head on the pavement. O’Brien ran from the scene when McGee’s head hit the sidewalk, prosecutors said.
McGee was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead as a result of blunt-force head trauma.
O’Brien surrendered to police at the 108th Precinct on the morning of November 21st, and was charged with assault. O’Brien was not charged with homicide after it became clear that he die not intentionally kill McGee, Ryan said.
McGee, who was born in the United States and frequently visited New York City, was a member of a well-known family from the rural village of Drumlish, Ireland. He immigrated to his Sunnyside neighborhood from Longford, Ireland in February 2018.
O’Brien, of 42nd Street in Sunnyside, is facing six months in jail at his sentencing on January 8th, Ryan said.
“A senseless altercation outside a bar turned tragic and a family is without a loved one,” Ryan said. “The facts surrounding the tragic death of Danny McGee fall into a category of cases that have become known as ‘one punch homicides’ – where one punch causes a death but the only intent that can be proved is to cause physical injury,” Ryan said.
“Under cases governing our prosecutions in these circumstances we can only charge a misdemeanor third-degree assault, Ryan continued.
Ryan said the District Attorney’s office “believes that is an inadequate response to a death,” and that his office “is calling upon the Legislature to pass a law making an intentional assault that results in death a felony.”
“The family of the victim in this case understood the limitations in prosecuting this case and were supportive of the outcome,” Ryan said. “I am hopeful this resolution brings them some solace and comfort.”

Offer $2.5G Reward For Attempted Kidnapper
A horrified mom fought off a drunken man who tried to kidnap her 10-month-old daughter from her stroller on a street in Corona on Thursday night, police said.
Blanca Audanshal, 28, told police she first noticed the drunken man “peeing by the side of a vehicle as she walked out of her babysitter’s home with her baby, Kayla, on 111th Street near 43rd Avenue in Corona at about 8:30 p.m. on November 21st.
Cops said the man suddenly grabbed the young mom from behind screaming, “Give me the baby.” He then held one of Audanshal’s hands behind her back and tried to wrestle the stroller from her other hand. “She asked him if he wanted her money or cell phone, but he ignored her and went right for the baby,” police said.
The mom spotted someone walking nearby and screamed, a police source said. “She said she screamed like she had never screamed before.”
Cops said the man ran off as the Good Samaritan ran to help Audanshal, but he lurked behind a parked car, stalking her as she headed home. The man emerged and walked right behind the mom, who ran into a nearby 99-cent store where she called 911. Audanshal said the man ran behind the store, apparently waiting for her to reappear, but was scared off by the sound of police sirens responding to her call.
“The baby and the mom were both crying when police officers entered the store, the source said. “The mom kept saying, ‘Why did he go for my baby? Take my money, take my phone, but leave my daughter alone.”
Police have released a surveillance photo of the suspect inside a restaurant on Roosevelt Avenue on Thursday evening (see photo) in the hopes that someone will be able to identify him.
The man is described as a male Hispanic, 5-feet, 5-inches tall, with brown eyes and cropped, black hair and a thin build. He was wearing a green hooded sweatshirt, dark-colored pants and red sneakers at the time of the attempted kidnapping.
Anyone with information is urged to call the CrimeStoppers HOTLINE at 1-800-77-TIPS or click on www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

The HOTLINE is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

 

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