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Yesterday's Flatiron Gunman Was Menacing Construction Workers
By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 28, 2011
Modified Jul 28, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Jul 28, 2011
Modified Jul 28, 2011
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Yesterday afternoon, we received several reports of a possible hostage situation in Manhattan, involving a gunman, happening on 22nd Street near the Flatiron building. After much confusion, several Twitter reports, and multiple updates, it finally emerged that the gunman had no hostages and had fired no shots. However, he had been menacing construction workers, had barricaded himself inside his 11th floor apartment...and was wearing Daisy Dukes.
Kenneth Clarfield, 69, surrendered peacefully to police after the three hour standoff yesterday. Clarfield, whom police describe as a "hoarder," became agitated at construction workers on a scaffold doing window work on his apartment building at 12 E. 22nd Street around 12:45 p.m. He allegedly opened a window, and pointed a gun and snarled, "Get away, get away," according to the Post. The terrified workers called police, but Clarfield refused to open his door; hostage negotiators were brought in, and police closed streets in the area and recommended people stay away from windows in neighboring buildings, which is what helped lead to the hysteria.
Charges are pending for Clarfield, who was taken to Bellevue Hospital. Neighbors say he rarely left his apartment, which he's lived in for at least over 20 years, and usually wore colorful bandannas around his head or neon bandages on his face when he did. "He sits on the fire hydrant next to our building just resting, never doing anything. It's a little odd. He'd just sit and stare into space," neighbor Daryl Glenn said.
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manhattan
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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