Cops Corner

April 17
New sport?
3:10 a.m. — South Osprey Avenue. Suspicious Incident. Two young boys were seen hurling things at cars using their lacrosse sticks.

April 18
Mad biker
12:06 p.m. — 900 block of John Ringling Causeway. Suspicious Person. A man on a bicycle riding toward Lido Key was seen trying to run people over, while yelling profanity.

In the dark
8:50 p.m. — 7100 block of Prosperity Circle. Prowler. A woman was in her bedroom, when she heard a tap on her window. She looked outside and saw a young man looking at her. She said she’s seen him hanging around her house for a couple of weeks, and he is always watching her. Deputies searched for the young man but could not find him.

Pool party
11 p.m. — 2600 block of Mall Drive. Battery. A woman and a friend were playing pool inside a bar. Another woman was playing pool with her friend at another table. The two couples began arguing over who was next in line to play at a third table. The argument escalated and friend No. 2 hit friend No. 1 in the face. The two women walked out of the bar and continued to argue. Woman No. 2 then punched woman No. 1 in the nose. The sheriff’s office was called. Both No. 2s were arrested.

April 19
It’s not fare
12:30 p.m. — 1900 block of South Tamiami Trail. A cab driver picked up a customer and drove him to a pharmacy at Bee Ridge Road and McIntosh Road, then to other pharmacies in Manatee County, then to a bank at the above address to withdraw money from an ATM. The customer got out of the cab and never returned. His fare was standing at $144. Previously, the suspect had left his phone number with the cab company. Several items in the cab helped police identify him.

Supermarket creep
5 p.m. — 3400 block of Clark Road. Battery. A middle-age man asked a supermarket employee to help him to his car with his groceries. As they walked to his car, he placed his hand on her upper back and slid it down to her middle back. She began to feel uncomfortable. Once at the car, he asked her to load the bags into the front seat. When she was done, she turned around to see that he had blocked her in with the shopping cart. He told her he wasn’t going to let her go without a hug. She refused, so he grabbed her and hugged her. He then said, “Now do I get a smooch?” She was able to get away, and he called to her, “All right, then, next time. I’ll see you soon.” She called the sheriff’s office with a description of the man.

The ol’ raccoon excuse
10:03 p.m. — 2700 of Coventry Drive. Loitering and Prowling. A man walked out of his garage and spotted a teenager standing between his home and the woman’s home next door. The teen ran away. The man said the teen looked like the boy who the woman saw standing in her backyard the previous week. At the time, she asked him what he was doing there, and he replied that he had seen a raccoon. The boy lives down the block, and deputies are paying him a visit.