A New York City resident recently filed a $15 million lawsuit against his local Burger King for failing to stop drug dealers from breaking into his store. new york post It was reported on Sunday.
Film director Kevin Kaufman sued a fast food restaurant for turning “Fulton Street into an open-air drug bazaar.” Kaufman, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said drug dealers and the homeless have taken over the block.
The lawsuit, filed earlier this month, alleges that Burger King’s owners have not done enough to stop the illegal activity. “Professional drug dealers” are using the facility as a “base for their operations, selling illegal drugs at the entrance and, during inclement weather, inside Burger King restaurants,” the complaint states. claims.
“We’ve reached out to all sorts of sources, but the only ones who respond immediately and listen to us are the police,” said Kaufman, 69.
“The police are doing everything they can to remove these people, but they’re handcuffed. This stupid bail reform. They arrested a few people, but they came back within 24 hours. ” he added.
“This is right next door to the mayor, his office is right there. It’s like, ‘Hey, clean up the neighborhood,'” another resident, who requested anonymity, told the Post.
He noted that Burger King stores are “never crowded, and the only people there are the poor, the homeless, or the people selling drugs.”
A second anonymous resident questioned why the establishment remained open and why the owners weren’t doing more to prevent criminal activity.
“There are no patrons of the restaurant, no one eats there,” neighbor Evan Gilman told the Post.
Gilman said drug dealers were at Burger King “all day long.”
Kaufman accused the restaurant’s owner, Lalmil Sultanzada, of “not taking responsibility” for his criminal actions.
“Instead of hiring security himself or guarding his own store, he threw it into the police’s lap,” he told the Post.
The drug traffickers “have long criminal histories and are well known in local law enforcement circles,” Kaufman added.
Sultanzada explained that hiring private security would be too expensive.
“That’s not my problem… it’s up to the police. I’m not selling drugs,” he said. “If I close my shop. Who will be responsible for my losses?”
“They’re wandering around and throwing everything in the store. A few times they hit one of my managers,” Sultanzada said.
“We have the same problem everywhere. We have the same problem on 125th Street. We have the same problem on 116th Street. It’s the same problem when you go to the Bronx,” he continued. “It’s not me. Talk to the government, talk to the police department, talk to the mayor, talk to the governor. … Unless they find a solution for those motherfuckers, not me.” It won’t.”
Since January 2023, officers have responded to 143 calls and made two arrests related to the fast food restaurant, according to the New York City Police Department.
A ministry spokesperson said: “Quality of life complaints remain a serious concern for residents across the city.”
“The NYPD deploys officers to locations where crimes are reported in response to community complaints, and will continue to respond to these situations in accordance with the needs and expectations of the public,” the spokesperson said. Ta.
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