A beautiful spring morning in Ditmars Park in Astoria turned ugly last Tuesday when 54-year-old Zbigniew Pawlowski reportedly armed his two children with two illegally owned BB guns and set them loose in a busy playground.

He first fired a couple of shots at a nearby tree, then handed the weapons to his 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, according to an account from the Queens district attorney’s office.

The city’s Administrative Code requires permits for air rifles or pistols like BB guns. There were no injuries as a result of this incident, but Pawlowski was arraigned on several charges, including resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a child, the New York Times reported.

The story was first written about on the Queens Mamas blog, and Queens Councilman Peter Vallone linked to the story on his Facebook page, asking constituents to speak up if they recognized the man in a blurry cell phone photo.

“It’s unfortunate this incident escalated,” Vallone said of Pawlowski’s arrest and the ensuing court case. “The gun was extremely realistic which makes it illegal, but instead of turning himself in and getting a wrist slap, he resisted arrest.”

The Queens Mamas story, which has since been removed, complained of a delay in response by the police, and an absence of police near the park generally.

“Everyone wants more cops in the neighborhood, it’s my top priority,” Vallone said, and advised voters “to look at candidates’ positions on more cops in the upcoming elections.

Follow Danielle Tcholakian on Twitter @danielleiat

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A 58-year-old man was struck and killed by a subway train in Queens early this morning, police said.

Cops responded to a call of a person struck about 3:23 a.m. along the northbound E line near 46th Street and Broadway in Astoria. They discovered the man lying on the tracks unconscious and unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing. NBC News reported that the man was a transit worker who was working on the tracks when he was hit.

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A Queens teenager has been charged in the beating of a 16-year-old girl with a brick, which left her clinging to life in a Queens alley last Tuesday.

Omer Khogali, 17, of East Elmhurst, allegedly hit the girl multiple times in the head with a brick about 10:45 p.m. April 9 near 22-63 43rd Street in Astoria.

The victim, Michelle Rodriguez of Astoria, was in critical condition with severe head injuries at Elmhurst Hospital after the attack.

Khogali was arraigned Sunday morning on charges of attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown’s office.

He was spotted on surveillance video shortly after the attack. The video shows Khogali dropping an object on the sidewalk as he fled the scene. A brick with blood stains was later recovered from that location.

The criminal complaint also alleges that a witness observed Khogali walking up to several cars and pulling on the door handles shortly before the attack. The witness screamed and he hit the witness with a brick to quiet them.

Khogali faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. He is due back in court April 29.

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A 16-year-old girl is in critical condition after she was assaulted by a man in Queens on Tuesday.

Cops are searching for the suspect, who assaulted the victim in an alley near 22-63 43rd Street in Astoria about 10:45 p.m. The victim and the suspect entered the alley together, but it is not clear if she knew the attacker.

The girl suffered head injuries, police said. She is in critical but stable condition at Elmhurst General Hospital.

The suspect is described as a black male in his mid-20s. He was last seen wearing a dark jacket, a white T-shirt, blue jeans, black sneakers and dark gloves.

Anyone with information in regards to this assault is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

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A yellow school bus and a livery cab collided this morning on Grand Central Parkway in Queens.

The bus was spun around from the force of the collision, which occurred around 6:30 a.m. on the westbound side of the highway near the 31st Street exit in Astoria.

Three people were on the bus at the time of the accident, Eyewitness News reported. The driver was being treated for injuries that were not considered serious.

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Police are searching for three men who robbed an elderly man at gunpoint in Queens this past weekend.

The suspects entered a commercial location near the corner of 24th Street and 35th Avenue in Astoria at approximately 1:15 p.m. on Saturday carrying cardboard boxes, police said. Once they were let inside, one of the robbers displayed a firearm and the suspects demanded money from the 78-year-old victim. The victim complied and the men fled with an unknown amount of money.

Two of the suspects are described as black males in the 20s. The suspect who held the gun is described as a Hispanic male in his 20s. They were all wearing a hoodie and a jacket.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.

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