The City Island barber, once praised for rescuing a beaten rooster, may now see time behind bars.
Aleksandr Mullokandov, who became a local celebrity last July when he had taken a badly beaten rooster into his care, was arrested inside of his barber shop on Thursday, May 19.
Although it was the first rain-free day in almost a week, the 45th Precinct made sure the storm continued over Mullokandov’s Hollywood Barber Shop on 403 City Island Avenue.
Officers raided the shop at approximately 12:30 p.m. and arrested Mullokandov on charges of criminal use of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of marijuana.
Although it could not be confirmed, an unnamed source said the 29-year-old hair stylist was allegedly selling drugs to teenagers out of the barber shop. He had been under investigation for som etime, the 45th Precinct acknowledged.
City Island Civic Association president Bill Stanton witnessed the arrest. A former NYPD officer himself, Stanton was surprised at the arrest, but was satisfied with the work done by the 45th Precinct.
“I’m both shocked and awed, to be honest,” Stanton said. “A store front has the audacity to sell drugs to children. I am happy to see the 45th Precinct take a strong charge against it under the leadership of Captain Green. Although myself and fellow residents of City Island were not aware of what was happening in the shop, it is certainly a great day for our neighborhood.”
Mullokandov’s claim to fame came last summer after taking a rooster in as a pet after a cockfight that he claimed occurred near Grand Concourse and East 182nd Street.
Coco the rooster was nursed back to health and became a mainstay inside the barber shop. Senator Jeff Klein eventually helped Mullokandov locate a home for the rooster in Petersburg, New York.
As Mullokandov was brought out of the shop in handcuffs, many residents watched in disbelief. Unaware of the nature of the arrest, locals were confused, saying that they never saw anything that may have indicated the sale of drugs inside the shop.
“I never had any reason to believe there was anything suspicious going on at the barber shop,” said Peter Green, City Island resident and retired NYPD detective. “My sons have gotten their hair cuts there before and we all thought he was a pretty nice guy. We had no clue, but that just means the 45th Precinct did a great job. We needed a wake-up call like this on City Island.”
According to a police spokeswoman, Mullokandov has a criminal history of eight arrests since he was 18-years-old.
He was arraigned on Friday, May 20 and released on his own recognizance. His next court appearance is on Friday, July 29.
