Thugs Use Blind Walking Stick to Try to Run Victims' Wallets

Even criminal street performers in the East Village ain't what they used to be. This weekend 21-year-old Dominic Lapsley used a metal walking stick to pretend that he was blind and bump into a group of strangers at the corner of St. Marks Place and 2nd Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The five twenty-something victims were then confronted by 40-year-old Benjamin Pleasant, who yelled at them, "Don't run into a blind man! Give me your wallets," as he began going through a victim's pockets. At that point, two more accomplices came out of the woodwork and began beating on the rest of the group. Being on St. Marks on a Saturday night, the scene wasn't exactly off the beaten path and cops were able to quickly sweep the gang up. Just last week a group of transvestite teenagers in the West Village were arrested for robbing locals and spending the loot on wigs.

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By Billy Parker in News on March 12, 2009 1:56 PM

Comments [rss]

Qraymond

No one finds it funny that the mugger's name was Pleasant?

Snoopy

Any pictures or description of the perps?

yg

Five twenty-somethings were robbed by 3 unarmed men?!

NannyState

Five twenty-nothings.

CR

Friend of mine got mugged a couple of years ago on St. Marks - 10pm on a Saturday night. Dude just walked off into the crowd like it was nothin'...

Brado

Welcome to Obamerica!

virgil

Yes, everything's different now. Why, there are even muggers in New York city.

ed_Extinct

give me your wallets? fuck you! give me yours!

austin5454

Upon reading the headline, I was expecting the story to be about a crafty criminal exploiting sympathy for the blind in a way that helps him steal wallets. I was not expecting criminals who pretend to be blind and bump into people and then demand their wallets. Not too crafty Benjamin Pleasant.

henricus

Ugh, I used to work on St. Mark's. What a crap hole. I used to dread walking to work Monday morning because of all the passed out Westchester teens pretending to be poor and pools of vomit between 3rd and 1st. Nasty.