A police crackdown at the problem-plagued Washington Square Park netted a stash of drugs and the arrests of repeat offenders, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said Wednesday.
Police said six people were nabbed in the Tuesday sweep of the Greenwich Village green space, which has been the site of massive rowdy, drug-fueled and occasionally violent parties this summer.
“The community spoke & your cops heard you!” Shea tweeted.
“Yesterday, @NYPDDetectives operation in Washington Square Park led to the recovery of crystal meth, crack & 6 narco-related arrests, including: 2 men already on parole, 1 man w/ a felony warrant, & over 150 prior arrests in the group.”
Those arrested were Elijah Anderson, 26, Dimitri Konstant, 55, Matthew Pritchell, 51, and Jodi Hamilton, 39, all of Manhattan, and Charles Singleton, 53, of the Bronx.
All five were charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Also busted was Jean Auguste, 33, who was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession with intent to sell, police said.
The group, in total, had 169 prior arrests, the NYPD said Thursday.
Konstant and Pritchett had the most, with 61 and 58 respectively, authorities said.
Hamilton had 29 arrests, Auguste had 10, Singleton had six and Anderson had five, police said.
Auguste was released on parole in 2017 in connection to an assault and attempted assault conviction, state corrections records show.
Hamilton was also released on parole, in August of last year, in connection to an attempted grand larceny conviction, the records show.
The beloved — but beleaguered — park has been a nightmare for cops and locals all summer as revelers have flooded the area throwing all-night booze-filled dance parties and unsanctioned boxing matches.
Cops tried to crackdown down on noise and debauchery with a midnight curfew but the parties raged on.
In one instance, at the end of June, three food vendors were attacked outside the green space. The crowd, which descended on the area after Pride Parade celebrations, demanded one of the vendors put up a Pride flag in place of his American flag.
“I called the cops. They didn’t want to come,” Abdo Mansour told The Post at the time. “The cops stayed right there.”
Locals have complained that the city has done little to combat the open-air drug use and homelessness at the landmark park.
Between May 31 and mid-August, five people were found dead in Washington Square Park with officials suspecting a link to an influx of fentanyl in street drugs.
The partying seemed to be shut down in late July later after cops busted David “Shaman” Ortiz, a party host and provocateur who was at the center of the wild antics in the park.
The NYPD rolled in on July 21 and broke up the pop-up fete, kicking the attendees out and put up barricades to keep people out.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said days later the city would tackle the quality-of-life concerns from residents as the city started to return after the coronavirus shutdown.
