Four Men, One from Kingsbridge Heights, Charged in Slaying of LA-Based Drill Rapper, MoneyGangVontae

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Wednesday, Aug. 10, that four men were indicted for murder and additional charges in the fatal shooting of Avanti Frowner, aka, “MoneyGangVontae,” an LA-based Drill rapper, as he left a pharmacy with a friend in the Crotona section of The Bronx in June. The rapper was in New York City for a show at the time of the shooting. Announcing the charges, Clark said, “The defendants allegedly attacked two men, robbing them of money, their phones, and jewelry. One of the men, Avanti Frowner, “MoneygangVontae,” was in New York to perform,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Officers from the 52nd Precinct have offered a reward for information on a shooting that occurred in Norwood on July 26. As reported on our social media channels, Norwood News received unconfirmed reports from local businesses of a shooting on Tuesday afternoon, July 26, on East Gull Hill Road in the vicinity of Hull Avenue. When contacted on two different occasions later that day by Norwood News, a police press office spokesperson said they had no record of the alleged incident. However, the next day, July 27, the 52nd Precinct tweeted that a reward of up to $3,500

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help in locating the man seen in the attached video and photo who is sought for questioning in connection to a groping incident that occurred in Kingsbridge Heights. It was reported to police that on Thursday, Aug. 4, at around 8 p.m., inside of Antillana Meat Market, located at 123 West Kingsbridge Road, the man, who is unknown to a 39-year-old female victim, grabbed her buttocks while she was shopping. The victim did not sustain any physical injuries as a result of the incident. The man fled the location on foot, heading

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help identifying the two people seen in the attached photos who are sought for questioning in connection to an assault that occurred in Fordham Manor. Members of the 52nd Precinct said a felony assault took place in front of 61 East Kingsbridge Road on Monday, Aug. 8, at 4:30 a.m. They said the pictured individuals allegedly stabbed a 26-year-old male victim multiple times, causing serious physical injuries, in an unprovoked attack. A police spokesperson said the victim was stabbed more than 15 times about the chest and back. The two fled

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A court-authorized search of an apartment in the Mount Hope neighborhood of The Bronx resulted in the seizure of approximately 110 kilograms of heroin, fentanyl and cocaine, plus 50 pounds of a substance believed to be crystal meth, and up to 75,000 counterfeit pills believed to contain fentanyl, according to the City’s Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP). The drugs, which law enforcement officials said were intended for citywide distribution, carry an estimated street value of approximately $24 million. Julio Mota Plasencia was arrested in the stash apartment in which the drug consignment was allegedly located on Monday,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Six individuals were arrested in connection with a large-scale heroin/fentanyl packaging mill in the Crotona neighborhood of The Bronx, representatives from the City Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) said on Monday, Aug. 8. A consignment of over 25 kilograms of narcotics (more than 55 pounds), carrying a street value of more than $5 million, was destined for distribution throughout New York City and in Massachusetts, according to law enforcement officials. The packaging mill was located inside an apartment across the street from a public elementary school, near the Bronx Zoo. Bridget G. Brennan, New York City’s

By DAVID GREENE

Police are looking for four men who brazenly walked into a Webster Avenue jewelry store and used a hammer to smash at least one display case, before fleeing on foot down a busy Webster Avenue with over $2 million in gems. Officers from the 46th Precinct were called to Rocco’s Jewelry, located at 2521 Webster Avenue just south of the northern Fordham Heights border at 2:38 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5. According to a police source, “An unknown individual approached the front door and was buzzed inside of the store by an employee. The individual then held the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

An off-duty New York City police officer was arrested and charged in the 50th Precinct on a DUI charge. Police Officer Joaquin Sepúlveda, 42, who is assigned to the 9th Precinct in Manhattan since 2012, was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving while his ability was impaired on Friday, Aug. 5, at 10.02 p.m. The 9th Precinct covers from East Houston Street to East 14th Street from Broadway, to the East River in Manhattan. According to a police database, Sepúlveda became a police officer in 2004. According to his file, he has been awarded with excellent

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Two men were arrested in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx in connection with a large-scale heroin/fentanyl packaging and distribution operation, according to an announcement by City prosecutors on Thursday, Aug. 4. A stash of approximately 6 kilograms of narcotics (over 13 pounds), with a street value of at least $1.8 million, was intercepted during a short-term investigation, prosecutors said. The drugs were allegedly destined for distribution throughout New York City and Massachusetts. Overdose rates in New York City have escalated since the COVID-19 pandemic began, according to the City’s health officials, and are at their highest rates