ARREST IN FATAL ROBBERY
A man was arrested Feb. 12 in connection with a fatal jewelry store robbery.
Police said that Edmond Alma, a 46-year-old Washington Heights resident, was found with a number of items that were stolen during the robbery of R. S. Durant, at 962 Madison Ave. between East 74th and 75th streets.
Police had a warrant to search Alma’s apartment, at 602 W. 180th St. and St. Nicholas Avenue. He was arrested after the search and charged with criminal possession of stolen property, though not with the murder of store employee Henry Menahem, who was shot and killed during the robbery.
On Jan. 27, a man wearing dark sunglasses and a hat, with a ski mask covering his face, entered R. S. Durant and demanded jewels. When the employees refused, a fight ensued and the robber fired his gun, hitting 71-year-old Menahem in the chest.
Reports said that Alma was found in possession of nearly three-dozen pieces of jewelry from the robbery, worth more than $1 million.
Alma has not been ruled out as the murderer, but his lawyer said he did not shoot Menahem, according to news reports.
Police said that the investigation is ongoing.
BIAS ATTACK BECOMES ASSAULT
Hate crime charges have been dropped against the man arrested for bias attacks in the Upper East Side this summer.
Driton Nicaj, an Upper East Side resident, was arrested in July for the brutal robbery of Joseph Holladay.
When Nicaj, who was 19 at the time of his arrest, was arraigned, he was charged with robbery as a hate crime and aggravated harassment as a hate crime.
But state Supreme Court Judge Ronald Zweibel dropped the hate crime charges Dec. 17. Nicaj faces charges of assault in the third degree.
Holladay was visiting a friend who lives in the Upper East Side during the city’s Pride Week celebrations. Nicaj, acting with several other men, is accused of hitting Holladay in the head with the butt of a silver firearm and robbing him June 27 at 4:15 a.m. Police investigated other bias attacks and robberies.
Nicaj is slated for a Feb. 11, 2010 hearing and trial.
Crowded Subway Assault
A woman was arrested and charged with assault Dec. 4 after a scuffle with a fellow straphanger on a downtown 6 train at the 96th Street station. The victim, a 25-year-old man who lives in lower Manhattan, told police that while he was trying to board the train at 1:30 p.m., a shoving match with Elizabeth Miller, 42, ensued. He claimed that Miller attacked him, causing minor tissue injuries to his neck, chest and stomach.
Car Burglary Prevented
A woman was able to stop a potential burglar from making off with the contents of her car, which was parked on the corner of East 95th Street and Third Avenue. On Sept. 8 at 2:20 a.m., the 23-year-old victim called police when she spotted Matthew Hults, 47, trying to break into her car. When cops arrived, Hults jumped out of the car and ran. Cops said he had burglar’s tools on him when he was arrested.
Bike Thief Caught
A 38-year-old man was arrested when cops witnessed him trying to steal a bicycle. On Aug. 30 at 3:42 a.m., police saw Joseph Barnes using yellow bolt cutters to break a chain on a bicycle. The officer told him not to move, but Barnes hopped into the 86th Street and Lexington Avenue subway station. Minutes later, he came back for the bicycle. Cops finally stopped him at Park Avenue and East 75th Street. Barnes reportedly told police, “I just took it from a homeless guy.” He was charged with criminal mischief.
Traffic Agent Hit
A man was arrested on Aug. 28 at 4 p.m. after he allegedly struck a traffic agent trying to stop his vehicle. Police said that Zecerija Mustafa, 53, blocked the intersection of Third Avenue and East 96th Street. The agent told him to pull over to the side to give him a summons for blocking the intersection. The suspect allegedly drove straight and only stopped after he bumped in to the 21-year-old traffic agent. Mustafa was charged with obstruction of justice.
Subway Groper Arrested
A man was arrested for forcible touching after the woman he allegedly grabbed in the rear reported the advance to the police. Cops said that Enrique Navarro, 24, grabbed the 37-year-old Upper East Side resident’s backside as she stepped off the Lexington Avenue and East 68th Street stop on July 29 at 5:50 p.m.
Fighting in Line
An April 30 scuffle on a post-office line led to a man being arrested for assault. Police said that at around 11 a.m. that day, 46-year-old Richard Amrose was in line along with a 79-year-old woman at the Yorkville Post Office, at 1617 Third Ave. and East 91st Street. The two got into a disagreement over being in the line. The man allegedly shoved the woman off the line. When she approached the man again, he shoved her to the ground, cops said, causing a contusion on her head.
DRUNK DRIVER BUSTED
A 23-year-old woman was arrested after speeding through a DWI checkpoint near the northeast corner of Second Avenue and East 61st Street, nearly plowing through four police officers. Police said that on Oct. 31 at 3:37 a.m., Anesa Kastrat was pulled over with a blood-alcohol level of .08. She was also allegedly in possession of marijuana and had an open bottle of alcohol in her car. She was charged with reckless endangerment, according to cops.
PHONY SIGNS FOR A GOOD SPOT
A little early for Halloween, Sergio Khorosh was arrested for forgery after attempting to feign a medical emergency. Police said he was apparently trying to score a good parking spot by displaying official documents. On Oct. 18 at 4:30 p.m., an officer spotted the suspect’s black Ford Crown Victoria parked in front of a fire hydrant on the southeast corner of First Avenue and East 91st Street. Khorosh, 42, was pulled over after he tried to pull out of the illegal spot and turned on a police siren, according to cops. The officer searched Khorosh’s car and found three forged parking placards, a catalog of police shields and the siren.
