CHELSEA — That's a lot of allergies.
Police arrested a man who tried to steal $725 worth of Zyrtec allergy medicine from a Rite Aid at 188 Ninth Ave. on Sept. 28.
Lewis Stewart, 20, was caught after placing 24 boxes of the allergy medication into a store basket and attempting to leave without paying at around 8:20 p.m., police said. In all, Stewart tried to steal a total of 965 Zyrtec pills, according to police.
“He tried to run out with the basket and everything,” said David Perez, head of the security at the Rite Aid location. Stewart had tried to rob the store twice before, Perez said, so when employees saw Stewart enter, they called the police.
“It was perfect timing,” said Perez. “It just so happened when he was running out the cops were coming in, so they caught him that way."
Stewart was charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, according to court records. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other notable crimes in the 10th Precinct include:
► A woman woke up alone with a black eye in front of the Elliot Houses last week, and says the last memory she has was walking along the sidewalk with her heroin dealer, police said.
The woman told authorities she had been walking in front of the housing complex on 10th Avenue near 25th Street with a male acquaintance, who had sold her heroin in the past, just after midnight on Sept. 25, according to a police report.
The next thing she knew, the woman awoke and realized she had significant swelling, redness and pain above her left eye, police said. She reported the incident to police at around 1 a.m., but said she was unsure what happened or where it happened, police said.
The woman also said that her iPhone 5 had been stolen, according to the NYPD.
Police are looking for the dealer, who they described as 6-foot-3 about 200 pounds.
► Two men assaulted a 28-year-old woman and stole her belongings, worth $850 in total, while she was walking westbound on West 40th Street near 12th Avenue at around 7 p.m. on Sept. 26, police said.
One of the men held her from behind while the second man punched her on the right side of her forehead and took her bag, according to the NYPD.
The thieves stole a pair of Tom Ford sunglasses worth $400, a pair of Coach sunglasses worth $150 and a pair of car keys worth $300, police said.
The pair also took her Chase Visa debit and credit cards, but a stranger later turned them in to police, according to the NYPD. No unauthorized transactions were made, according to the police report.
► A 58-year-old man told police he feared for his safety after a former New York Sports Club employee at W. 16 St. and Eighth Avenue emailed him on Sept. 28 at 9:30 a.m. with the message, “I hope you drop dead.”
The man said he did not know the employee and had never interacted with him, police said. He also told police that the man had been fired from the gym and obtained his email address from gym records, according to a police report.
It was not clear if the victim was a New York Sports Club employee or member.
New York Sports Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
