By Daniel Krieger
Last week, the NYPD requested the public’s assistance in locating a man who had allegedly assaulted a 27-year-old man who was walking east in front of 13 West 65th Street on September 9th at 11:10 am, causing multiple facial fractures. The suspect then left the scene on foot and “assaulted four more people within an hour,” police are now saying, all without provocation.
The suspect is Ortiz Elkin, who is 27 years old and homeless, the police reported.
“He was arrested after the fifth incident,” said the police, “which occurred in the 19th precinct, at 5th Avenue and 79th Street. The detectives then pieced together that he was wanted for four more incidents.”
Elkin will be charged for five felony assaults and is now being held at Manhattan criminal court. As for his motive for the attacks, a police spokesperson told WSR, “I think he’s an emotionally disturbed individual. And he has three prior arrests.”
Every politician in this city and state talk about fixing the mental illness/homeless problem that exploded over the last 2 years and not one has done anything tangible. When will we finally vote differently to get a dedicated person to take firm action? We all know that the Homeless shelters are despicable places with the contractors making billions and yet not one current politician has done ANYTHING.
Isn’t it time to vote differently for the sake of this city? Haven’t you all reached your limit yet? My God, what will it take? We don’t need words anymore – we need real ACTION.
Mental health treatment ended and patients were deposited in substandard shelters during the Reagan administration, when federal funding, which helped states provide treatment, was ended.
I thought you did vote differently and voted for Adams
Are you trying to hint that Republicans (“vote differently”) will spend money on homeless/mental illness?
No way, “concerned”; Republicans cut their own taxes PERIOD… while the “solution” for homeless/mental illness problems would obviously cost A LOT of money… unless of course you’re good with the Abbott, DeSantis, Ducey solution of bussing and flying unwanted persons, like so much luggage, to another state… is that what you meant?
If that’s not what you were hinting at, then correct me.
Are you willing to pay a 50 percent state tax ? This is what it will take to house citizens and illegals and provide for their every whim
2nd time I am writing this WSR – please print my reply.
I don’t care WHAT letter is next to a candidate’s name, I want someone who will give us action and not just words. We had a fair moderate choice for the Manhattan DA”s office and look at what we ended up with. Why? Because the other choice had an “R” next to his name. He was moderate and had experience on both sides of the justice system but Oh My God – he had an “R” next to his name.
Maria Danzillo was a moderate Democrat and cared very much about public safety and the homeless/mental illness complete failure of the last 2 years. BILLIONS has already been spent on the homeless and look at where we are. Yet, people voted for the same old same old pandering non-effective politicians in teh primary…all talk and no action.
That is what I mean about vote different in November. Vote for accountability and action, not endless words.
Gotcha; I voted for Maria Danzillo as well, mostly because of the discussions on this website.
I was very disappointed that she lost.
Me too and me too.
“Unwanted”?!!! Didn’t you vote for Dems and open borders? Now it they are “unwanted” here but should be “wanted” in Texas that didn’t vote for it?
I actually have some sympathy for the border states over this issue (I lived at one point in Arizona)… but I recoil in horror from manipulating & shipping thousands of powerless people thousands of miles like they’re sides of beef, people who’ve recently been through hell, just to make a political point.
I myself at one point in my life was living and working illegally, for years, until I finally got an amnesty from the government, so to some extent I understand something about that dreadful experience.
Only it wasn’t in America.
Shame on you for calling these recent immigrants to our sanctuary city “unwanted”. You are NOT good with it?
“I think he’s an emotionally disturbed individual. And he has three prior arrests.” Great! Now what? Back on the street to commit more assaults?
He was just released from state prison on Aug16, per the Post. If there was supervision or case management (Which there was supposed to be til 2024) that clearly failed. Which is not uncommon with unhoused ex cons…For now, it likely he’ll be back behind bars soon. But this is a long term issue – his is a tragic prognosis of long term trouble, maybe – yes we want our politicians to act but mostly we want compassionate, thorough safety nets so that, long after the poor victims of this rampage have recovered, this guy doesn’t follow similar urges again, especially not with something stronger than his fists. How many years in and out of jail and inadequate psych confinement before Michelle Go’s attacker – who asked for more help, was red-flagged for more treatment, but didn’t get it – acted out fatally for her? We have to push for the change. No one else will.
This man will be sent to prison and then let back out to do it again. How many New Yorkers must be sacrificial lambs until he kills someone and goes away for good? Progressives talk if decarceration without any consideration for law abiding victims. As long as black and brown people aren’t jailed a fair and just society is seemingly attained.
Rather than spending billions on shelters that homeless people are not required to use, why don’t we make prison an educational/therapeutic experience that targets the behavior (in this case, anger management) that made the person get incarcerated?
So many thoughts here. He didn’t get arrested until he went to a REALLY nice neighborhood (ie 79th & 5th). And, what is DCPI? The article does not say what this stands for. And, what does “now being held at Manhattan criminal court” mean? Is that the same thing as being held in jail without bail?
West 65th Street is Lincoln Center and it is a REALLY, REALLY nice neighborhood. It’s tying the assaults together to the same perp. The Police Department isn’t made up of psychics. There are lots of random assaults in this City. People have to ID the perp in order to know it’s all the same perp. If you have complaints about how fast (or slow) the police work, then join the force. If not, you really need to have different thoughts. If you don’t even know what DCPI is after 175 years of the NYPD, you need really, really different thoughts.
“If you don’t even know what DCPI is…”
Really? You’re going to ding someone for not knowing the abbreviation for the title of the guy who’s in charge of public relations for the NYPD? How much sense does that make?
“If you have complaints about how fast (or slow) the police work, then join the force. If not, you really need to have different thoughts.”
Much of your comment has merit. But I hope you can recognize the part I quoted above is truly silly!
If I have a complaint about an airline, I should become a pilot! If I have a complaint about the medical profession, I should become a doctor! If I have a complaint about about a taxi I rode in…
And if I don’t become a member of these professions, I “need to have different thoughts”!
No need to be mean, Ms. Katz.
DCPI is the Deputy Commissioner for Public Information
Thank you 🙂
Who knew?
We have the opportunity for a change in leadership coming up in November.
It’s not that people need “to vote differently”. It’s that the choices we have re candidates, regardless of party, are slim pickings. More frequently than not, our most qualified, strategic, action-oriented citizens do not run for public office. We have brilliant people in NYC, but they aren’t on the ballot. We need to think about why that situation exists and then try to fix it.
Well said Susan.
I just saw that Maria Danzilo got on the ballot as an independent in November. She lost pretty badly to Hoylman in the primary so unclear if she can bridge that gap but hopefully she can get her name out there better. I know the WSR community was supportive but that is not enough.
She balances Democrat values with a strong focus on public safety, unlike Hoylman, who seems to deny that there is any crime at all.
Thank you Alvin Bragg and all those that voted for him for your soft on crime policies and for ruining the lives and scaring the bejesus out of countless people. Does anybody look at the policies of who they vote for, understand the insanity of no-bail laws…or is being a Democrat all that matters to Manhattan voters?
“No bail” means “no arbitrary pre-trial detention without a solid justification.” That’s a basic American value. You may struggle with its application to the poor, to people of color, to the mentally ill (like this guy), but I am 100% sure you would demand it for yourself and your loved ones. (Oh, but you’d be fine, right? Because if bail was set, you could always buy your way out…and, as we all know, the ability to pay bail definitely demonstrates that you’re not dangerous.)
If the cops can’t manage crime without throwing a bunch of people into jail before their guilt or innocence can be resolved, then we need better cops, not more arbitrary detention.
And you really think this man needs to be roaming the streets? You people will fall in your ideologies no matter the practical casualties. Let your be your child next time hit by a dangerous man you didn’t want locked yo
Wow. Does Fox News write scripts for you so that you can feed them sound bites to rile up their angry viewers?
How did this suddenly become a class or race issue? Let me break this down for you: someone who is arrested with a strong presumption of being the guilty party of committing a violent crime (and even more so someone who has committed multiple violent crimes) should not be walking the streets. Period. They deserve a full trial. But in the interim, they should not be putting more people at risk.
Contrary to popular belief in some in your woke echo chamber, most judges are good people who are capable of making these determinations in non-racist ways. I’m sure there or occasions where they haven’t, but most of the time they have. Give them the discretion to determine who should be given bail and who shouldn’t. And expedite the system so that they get their full trials as quickly as possible – let’s hire a lot more judges.
We all want these rules to apply to anyone who commits violent crimes. Doesn’t matter who they are. I believe it was an upper middle class, mentally ill white woman who killed her neighbor in the building on West End in the 90s (whatever happened to that case?). Same rules apply to her. Unfortunately, the majority of these crimes are committed by the poor and/or people of color, but that is not why we want this. We want it so that we can safely lead our lives.
The amount of irrational angst among the super woke far left is almost as bad (but definitely not as bad) as that coming from the Trumpers. You are looking for reasons to be offended and for discrimination when it is not there.
And I’m sure WSR will publish none of this…
Sarah, Better Cops? Really? Do you really think the War on Police is going to result in ” BETTER ” Cops? The NYPD is circling the bowl right now, Cops are leaving the NYPD in record numbers. Recruitment is failing to fill classes and many quit before Graduation. The NYPD is no longer able to recruit high quality people and standards are be lowered. This War on Police is resulting in fewer Cops, Cops who simply take reports and do their best to stay out of the way, out of concern that they will not be supported. Instead of criticism why don’t you support the NYPD while you still have them. As mentioned the NYPD is hiring, why don’t you join up and show them how to do it?
But Bragg is being REALLY tough on museums that inadvertently purchased (possibly) looted art, so if a curator starts stalking us, we’re all safe.
Priorities, people.
you answered your own question. It’s all Dems, all the time, no matter who, not matter what the (lack of) policies.
Adams and Bragg were mistakes period. García would have been so much better. She has great expertise in creating operational solutions.
Almost no NYer’s ancestors came from Manhattan. Italy, Ireland, Austria, Russia chased us out and here we are.
Now it’s someone else’s turn getting chased out of somewhere. Offer them the help we wished for our people. Don’t let them live in tenements, work for pennies or starve their kids.
That’s who we are.
I hope this Elkin person will be taken off the streets and will be given the treatments to bring him out of wherever he resides in his head now.
Next election study who you are voting for. This has got to stop. And the no bail law needs to be taken off the books.