WILLIAMSBURG — A man stole raffle tickets from the coatroom of a fundraiser, tried to sell them to guests outside the catering hall where the event was being held, and then attacked the organizer when confronted, police and prosecutors said.
Vinicio Calle, 22, was standing outside the Continental event space at 75 Rutledge St. at roughly 1:45 a.m. on Dec. 6, trying to sell raffle tickets for the fundraiser inside, prosecutors said. The tickets had been locked in a coat room inside the venue, prosecutors said.
The event's organizer, a 32-year-old, noticed Calle trying to scalp the tickets and confronted him, prosecutors said.
When the organizer tried to get the raffle tickets back, Calle attacked him, punching him in the face and body, police said. Calle then fled, and was later arrested, police said.
It was not immediately clear who was sponsoring the fundraiser and workers at the Continental couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Prosecutors charged Calle with robbery and assault, records show.
Calle's Legal Aid attorney, Katherine Fitzer, said that Calle had been released following his arraignment on Sunday night.
"We're fighting the charges," she said, declining to comment further, because the case is open. Calle is due back in court on Jan. 20, court records show.
