July 2, 2006
Is That A Balloon Pump In Your Pocket, Or A Bomb?
Uhm, really? According to Police Chief Michael Collins "officers took prudent steps to handle what may have been a dangerous situation" on Thursday when eight officers jumped and arrested a balloon artist as he pulled his bike up to his normal place of business outside of the Central Park Zoo. His crime? Leaving an $850 rainbow striped electric air pump behind in a Starbucks. The cops said it looked like a bomb.
It sounds pretty crazy, but it really happened to Alexander Alhovsky, who has been selling balloon animals to children outside of the Central Park Zoo for nearly fifteen years.
"There was a gun in my face and another on the back of my neck," he said. "They were screaming, 'Get off your f- - -ing bike, you f- - -' . . . They were dragging me around." Alhovsky told the Post. Eventually the misunderstanding was cleared up and Alhovsky was sent on his way. But still, we hope the NYPD sends him an apology.
Meatwad by brainware3000 via Contribute.
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OK, while I'm not too crazy about cops myself, but this story seems like a little too much cop bashing to me. You are NOT supposed to leave anything suspicious behind in a public area now a days. How is a cop supposed to know? It could be a disguise for all they know. Were they suppose to slowly approach the suspect, and let him remote detonate. Stop pointing fingers without slowly analyzing the situation. I really like and expect more from the gothamist.
Yeah! You're Obviously Part of the Evvvilll Liberal Media!! No wait a minute...
;)
Max, IMO, they're just reporting it not bashing Cops. If I'd witness the Cops take down a guy getting off his Bike in Central Park, I'd wonder if the Cops have a vendetta against Cyclists , but that's just me.
Also, Link in the post is Busted.
An apology? when hell get's to 32 degrees, maybe.
Back in the old days, the guy would get some teeth knocked out and be charged with resisting arrest.
I remember a transit cop running like a linebacker and tackled this guy in the subway, got up, brushed himself off as if nothing happened.
So this is what our DHS money goes to, looking for striped air pumps. Chertoff, my hat's off to you sir, you did the right thing, the more money you give NYC, the more they'll waste it.
but then, you knew that already.
Max,
I was worried that this might be a little aggressive, and I agree with you about not leaving suspicious things around in this day and age, but I think you also are being a little too generous with your assumptions. Generally speaking I actually don't have much of a problem with the NYPD (their monthly behavior during Critical Mass being the excpetion)... But these cops waited four days from when the pump was left in the Starbucks to when the tackeled this guy in a park in front of little children. Think on that. Four days and they didn't figure out it was a balloon pump? They figured out who owned it, figured out that he went and stood outside of the Zoo everyday selling balloons to kids, and they didn't piece two and two together?
No cops don't need to necessarilly "slowly approach the suspect and let him remote detonate" but maybe they didn't need eight officers to tackle him? I guess I'm just naive.
Anyway, the post really wasn't meant to be "cop bashing" so much as an "isn't New York crazy" kinda post. Sorry if that didn't come through, I'll try harder next time.
Also: Link fixed. Sorry about that, too.
It was the Multi Colored Shirt that *really* did it.
I think the Cops were prudent to investigate, but a take down like that might have been much. Wonder if he got his $850 Air Pump back?
Uh, do I see a civil lawsuit in the works?
I remember reading that NYC taxpayers paid plaintiffs almost $70 million in settlement or civil jury awards from claims alleging improper police actions between 1994 and 1996. Of course, that was about 10 years ago. Does anyone know what the most recent figure is?
Are the cops really that stupid?? It doesn't take an engineer to discriminate an electric pump between a bomb. I guess the answer is a resounding yes. Thank you for that civil lawsuit on a plate....no more balloon making for him!!!
"You are NOT supposed to leave anything suspicious behind in a public area now a days."
@Max: The problem is that the cops seem to think that everyone and everything is suspicious these days. Don't point the finger at Gothamist; something like this could well happen to you too.
The potty mouth cops said "fuck"? Remember...the police man is your friend.
I can understand how the cops felt, forget the pump in the shop, that was probably an afterthought. Imagine seeing someone dressed like that riding through your beat, wouldnt you freak?
Mick--you're absolutely right.
What could say "terrorist" or "dangerous criminal" more than that picture of the balloon guy?
Just a clarification on this article - the photo is *not* of the individual described in the article. That's actually a picture of me in my Mermaid Parade costume, and I am in no way connected to the dude who left a balloon pump in a public place. (And no, I am not a "balloon artist" - the above photo is of me in a homemade Aqua Teen cartoon character costume used in the 2006 Mermaid Parade in Coney Island). Kind of amused, and also kind of horrified that my picture ended up in an article about all of this, when I have nothing to do with it. Gotta love the internet. ;)