WEST VILLAGE — A cobblestone-wielding burglar was foiled by the 75-year-old Charles Street resident he had hoped to rob, police said.
Dennis Altamarino, 30, threw a cobblestone through the window of a house on Charles Street just after midnight on May 5, police said.
The sound of breaking glass woke the house's elderly resident, who went downstairs and confronted Altamarino as he was attempting to climb through the window, police said.
The man told police he asked Altamarino, "What are you doing?" Altamarino responded unintelligibly, according to police, then grabbed the backpack he had dropped inside the window and fled toward Washington Street.
A few hours later, about 3:45 a.m., police received a 911 call from a 31-year-old night watchman at a construction site nearby at 150 Charles St., police said. The watchman said Altamarino had been sneaking into the construction site and sleeping there, and that he had stolen the watchman's cellphone from the security booth, police said.
Police officers responded and questioned Altamarino, who confessed to stealing the cellphone and to breaking the Charles Street home's window, police said.
Altamarino was arrested and charged with robbery and burglary. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other notable incidents in the Sixth Precinct include:
► A taxi driver was arrested after taking off when an NYPD traffic officer tried to stop him for making an illegal left turn, police said.
Sukhpreet Singh, 25, was instructed to pull over at Greenwich Street and Horatio Street on May 4 about 3 a.m., but instead he told the officer, "F--- you, I'm leaving," and sped off, police said.
Singh blew through a stop sign at Gansevoort Street where three pedestrians were trying to cross and then ran through a red light, police said.
Police arrested Singh and charged him with reckless endangerment, reckless driving and obstructing government administration. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
► William Curtis, 52, is accused of badly beating a 48-year-old man and then stealing his necklace and pendant, police said.
Police said on May 2 about 3:45 a.m., Curtis punched the victim in the face until he fell to the ground outside Boots and Saddle, a bar at 76 Christopher St., then stole the victim's jewelry and ran off.
Officers tracked Curtis down nearby, and charged him with robbery, police said. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
► A man who was asking passersby for money on Sixth Avenue attacked a man who refused to give, police said.
Police said Francisco Martinez, 48, asked a 25-year-old man for money in front of Crazy Fantasy at 333 Sixth Ave. about 3:45 a.m. on May 5.
When the man refused, they got into a screaming match, which escalated into a physical fight, police said.
The 25-year-old told police that Martinez tried to attack him with a sharp metal object. Officers arrived to find Martinez and the man still fighting, police said.
Police said the man was not injured, but a sharp metal object was found at the scene.
Martinez was arrested and charged with assault, police said. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
► A teen whose phone was stolen on the subway chased down the thieves and got them arrested, police said.
The 18-year-old boy was riding a train into the station at 14th Street and Sixth Avenue when he felt a tug on his pants and saw Sonny Llorente, 19, and Daniel Giler, 29, with his Samsung Galaxy S1, police said.
The pair ran off the train and headed for the street, but the teen was on their heels. When they got aboveground, the teen flagged down police.
Llorente and Giler were charged with grand larceny, police said.
Information on Llorente's attorney was not immediately available, and Giler's attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment.
