TIMES SQUARE — A violent rapist was arrested for trying to dine and dash after he and his companions ran up a nearly $1,500 bill at a Midtown steakhouse, police said.
Bruce Gravenhise, 31, of Brooklyn, had just finished eating with a group of people at Mastro’s Steakhouse at 1285 Sixth Ave. shortly after midnight on Jan. 13 when he and his group received the hefty bill, the NYPD said.
An employee at the steakhouse told authorities that instead of paying the $1,478 tab, Gravenhise and his group got up and left, according to a complaint filed with the Manhattan District Attorney.
A sergeant from the Midtown North Precinct who chased the group apprehended Gravenhise, who tried to avoid being handcuffed by flailing his arms and yelling, the DA said.
The rest of his group managed to escape, the complaint said.
A manager at Mastro's Steakhouse did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Gravenhise — who served two years in prison after being arrested in May 2003 for raping a woman — was charged with grand larceny and resisting arrest, according to the DA.
He was convicted of raping his victim on two separate occasions, as well as beating and kicking her in the stomach and legs, according to the state Department of Corrections.
Gravenhise was behind bars between February 2004 and February 2006 and returned to jail in November 2006 after violating his parole, the DOC said. He is no longer under supervision, the DOC said.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office could not provide further information about the rape case or the circumstances surrounding the incident, saying their records did not go back that far.
A judge set his bond at 3,000 bond and $1,500 cash for running out on the bill, according to the DA. It was not clear whether he was still being held.
An attorney for Gravenhise did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
He is expected back in court on March 23, according to the DA.
