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NYC man allegedly made 400 fake 911 calls

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NEW YORK, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- A New York man angry about the invasion of noisy young people in his Brooklyn neighborhood has made more than 400 fake 911 calls in two years, police say.

Louis Segna, 51, was arrested Thursday on charges that include reckless endangerment and making false reports, the New York Post reported. Police added a weapons charge when they found he owned a gravity knife -- with a blade contained in its handle.

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Segna's Williamsburg neighborhood was once known for its large Hasidic Jewish community but young hipsters driven from Manhattan by high rents, have made moved in.

Police said they have received more than 400 calls in the past two years reporting shots fired and other disturbances -- including a report of an explosion in a subway station -- only to find everything quiet when officers arrived.

Police knew Segna by name from noise complaints, and from his frequent appearances at community meetings.

An officer said he recognized Segna's voice in two phony 911 calls Thursday and investigators said they have determined 403 false calls were made from Segna's cellphone.

Police said they have thought of Segna -- who is 6 feet tall and weighs 300 pounds -- as a "gentle giant" but he also has a record of arrests, one for menacing and one almost 20 years ago for possession of homemade explosives.

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