Real Gun Used In Grandview Pool Lifeguard Threat Alleged - Order Of Protection Sought

After threatening a lifeguard at Grandview Pool (bottom right) last Tuesday 20-year-old Tasheem Burden ran to his house at 366 Grandview Avenue (top left) where police recovered a different gun used in the incident witnesses have told police.

Staten Island

By Geoffrey Croft

Additional details from last Tuesday's Grandview Pool arrest are emerging.

Several eyewitness have told NYPD that the fake gun recovered at the house described by police as a cigarette lighter was not the one brandished by 20 year-old Tasheem Burden at the pool.

The gun visible in Burden's waistband was a 9mm said an eyewitness. City employees have made statements to the police to that affect.

"The one brought to the pool was not the one the police have," said an eyewitness.

At least one city employee has requested an order of protection and another has asked to be transfered due to safety concerns.

Security at the mini-pool has been stepped up: An NYPD officer is now detailed there in addition to a PEP officer and a CSA.

On July 26th at around 3 p.m. just before lunch, a group of five or six friends were ordered out of the pool. After a struggle with a lifeguard in the pool Tasheem Burden was ejected. A few minutes later a shirtless Burden returned to the pool with a gun tucked in his waistband and threatened to shoot the lifeguard according to several eyewitness.

A CIty Seasonal Aid (CSA) - a mother of four - stepped in between assailant and the lifeguard. The parks security personnel employee used verbal judo skills in an attempt to defuse the situation. Burden took off down the street and ran into his house at 366 Grandview Avenue approximately 8 houses away from the park.

Another lifeguard flagged down a passing patrol car. NYPD went to the house and back up arrived.

A fake gun described as a cigarette lighter was recovered/surrendered at the house where NYPD arrested the suspect. He was charged with possession of an imitation pistol and menacing, cops said.

After police left the house the mother and a person described as Burden's brother came back to the pool where he repeatedly threatened the lifeguard.

According to eyewitnesses Tasheen returned to the area several times last week. Police have told park enforcement if he returns to arrest him for trespassing.

A person familiar with the issue said NYPD was looking into whether the lighter recovered was the item brought to the pool.

An NYPD spokesperson declined to comment whether they were investigating these claims.

"I hope they are. I don't know if there are. I hope so," said an eyewitness.

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Man Arrested After Threatening To Shoot Lifeguard In Grandview Playground Pool

Staten Island

A 20-year-old man ejected from a Parks Department pool in Mariners Harbor was arrested after he threatened to shoot a lifeguard at the Grandview Playground mini-pool, according to law enforcement sources.

A few minutes after being tossed out, Tasheem Burden returned with a fake plastic gun. NYPD arrested him at the scene. The incident happened just after 3 p.m.

The suspect was charged with possession of an imitation pistol and menacing, cops said.

That was 17th arrest within a week involving city pools.

-– Geoffrey Croft

Staten island

The recent trend of pool-goers behaving badly continued yesterday with the arrest near the Mariners Harbor minipool of a man charged with packing a gun -- an imitation pistol, as it turned out, according to the Staten Island Advance.

Tasheem Burden, 20, of the 200 block of Grandview Avenue, was arrested after staff at the minipool, located in the Grandview Playground, spotted the replica and called police about 3 p.m., said a spokesman for the city Parks Department.

He's charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, both misdemeanors.

The incident comes on the heels of disturbances on blistering-hot Friday that forced the temporary closures of three of Staten Island's public pools.

With the East Shore beaches -- since closed -- threatened by sewage, the mercury peaking at 106 and hours extended citywide, attendance at the Island's eight municipal pools hit 5,873, more than triple the 1,771 counted the previous Friday.

"It was mad-hot, and there were a lot of people," recounted Shayla Mazier, who arrived early Friday at the West Brighton Pool in her home community and watched the crowd steadily grow.

"You couldn't even see the water, only people. You could swim -- but only to a certain extent," she said.

Pool staff turned sprinklers on those waiting on line after the pool reached its 230-patron capacity.

"The lifeguards were blowing their whistles, like, 1,000 times, telling people not to jump," said pool regular Luis Acevedo of West Brighton. "It was mostly the teenagers," he said.

The West Brighton Pool was closed at 5:30 p.m. Friday, as were the Tottenville Pool at 5:15 p.m. and Lyons Pool in Tompkinsville at 5:50, according to the Parks Department. All were reopened about 45 minutes later by the NYPD.

Staff at West Brighton emphasized that none of the incidents Friday involved violence or threats of violence; most patrons were just grateful for relief from the oppressive heat.

Indeed, the story couldn't have been more different yesterday, on a postcard-perfect July afternoon.

Even as Burden was being brought into the 120th Precinct stationhouse, only the sounds of splashing and laughter punctuated the quiet calm at the West Brighton and Lyons pools.

"It's safe, it's clean and it's good for the children," said teacher Jennifer Corbisiero, as she watched campers from the South Beach Smiles Around Us Academy at play in the wide-open West Brighton Pool. "I've never had any problems here. The staff is helpful; it's great."

At Lyons, capacity 641, Irene Joyner of Stapleton lounged in the shade of a tree. "This is great here most of the time. It's a good place for me and my husband and the kids to get away from the house."

On Friday, she remembered, towels paved the perimeter of the giant pool.

But it's a fact of life at the pools that horseplay among teens, tension among rivals who happen to meet there and even petty crime do sometimes take center stage.

Radio reports yesterday about 5:30 p.m. had police en route to the Stapleton minipool, at the Stapleton Playground, after staff reported a chain-snatching.

Read More:

'Gun' arrest latest incident to roil the waters of Staten Island's pools

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S.I. Man Allegedly Brings Imitation Pistol To Public Pool

NY1 News - July 27, 2011

NYPD Daily Blotter

New York Post - July 27, 2011 - By Doug Auer, Jessica Simeone and Reuven Fenton

16 Arrested In Pool Violence

A Walk In The Park - July 26, 2011

Violence Explodes in City Pools - 14 Arrested During Hot Weekend

A Walk In The Park - July 24, 2011 - By Geoffrey Croft