David Schwimmer helps solve New York knife crime case

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/may/27/david-schwimmer-new-york-knife-crime-case

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The actor David Schwimmer has helped New York police in their arrest of a man who allegedly attempted to rob and knife one of his neighbours.

Robert Rainey was charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon and robbery, after he allegedly snuck into the man's apartment to steal a laptop. The neighbour was reportedly engaged with a transvestite prostitute he'd booked, but confronted the man on hearing him enter the apartment. The prostitute, who may have been an accomplice, used pepper spray on the client before running off; the man, defending himself with a knife, ended up having it turned on him during a fracas with the robber that spilled out into the street.

Schwimmer's security camera caught the end of the fight as it went outside, and assisted police in identifying the assailant. The actor handed over the tape, which may now be used in court.

The Friends actor was apparently an unpopular neighbour after years of construction work on his apartment, but one tenant told the New York Post: "He has turned out to be a decent neighbour, and I am glad to hear he helped the cops with that stabbing."

As well as playing Ross in 10 seasons of Friends, Schwimmer has recently voiced the giraffe Melman in the Madagascar animated movies, and will soon return to TV in Irreversible, a sitcom where he plays a fitfully successful writer with an eccentric young family. He has also turned his hand to directing, helming Run Fatboy Run with Simon Pegg and six episodes of Little Britain's US series, as well as theatre projects like Sabrina Mahfouz's monologue Dry Ice at London's Bush Theatre, and off-Broadway production Fault Lines.