ALBANY — A doughnut shop on Lark Street was struck by gunfire Wednesday evening, sparking a large police response in one of Albany’s busiest areas. The incident, which occurred around 7:40 p.m. near Lark and Spring streets, left no one injured, according to authorities. No arrests have been made.
The front door of Bitchin’ Donuts, located at 193 Lark St., was shattered by the gunfire. Owner Tania Sharlow confirmed the shop was closed at the time, but a worker was present when the shots rang out.
In a Facebook post Thursday morning, Sharlow described the incident as “literal crossfire.” She expressed shock and stress over the situation, writing, “There is so much I want to say about this situation … but as you can imagine, the incident kept me up a lot later than usual.”
Sharlow’s post appealed to the community, urging supporters to visit the shop and “bring a good vibration to counteract the growing darkness” she says has been affecting the area.
In an interview, Sharlow said the conditions around Lark Street have worsened in recent months. “There’s very blatant drug dealing going on outside of our shop,” she said.
Over the past three to four months, Sharlow has witnessed individuals openly using heroin and crack cocaine near her store and on Spring Street. “It has definitely gotten worse,” she said, though she acknowledged increased police foot patrols in the neighborhood.
Despite the recent incidents, Sharlow has no plans to shut down the business, which opened in March 2023. “It’s really important to carry on and not let this affect us too much,” she said. “We’ve got to be strong, so the violence doesn’t win.”
Wednesday’s shooting follows a stabbing incident less than a month ago on Lark Street, where a man was injured while attempting to break up a fight outside Cafe Hollywood.
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