March 31, 2007 / Brooklyn news / Police Blotter / Fort Greene–Clinton Hill

Beaten while relaxing in Fort Greene Park

By Lilo H. Stainton

The Brooklyn Paper

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A quiet moment on a park bench turned out to be anything but for one Fort Greene man on March 22 — but at least the victim kept his valuables.

The 25-year-old was resting on Park Avenue, near North Elliot Place, when a trio of strangers approached just after 5 pm. One man pulled a silver handgun and insisted, “Run your pockets.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” the victim responded, in disbelief.

A second man then pulled a black gun to underscore their intentions, but the victim still tried to escape. As he tried to bolt, the first thug smacked him in the face with his weapon and the third brute wrestled him to the pavement.

But before the trio could cause further harm, or steal anything, they bolted, leaving him on the ground.

The leader is described as a 20-year-old black man, 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds. Police said the other two are a 5-foot-5, 110-pound, black man and a 6-foot-2, 140-pound white Hispanic man, dressed in a white tank top.

Teen nabbed

Police arrested a 13-year-old boy for allegedly robbing a Harlem man walking on Dekalb Avenue on March 21.

The 41-year-old victim was headed Downtown, near Washington Park, when the thief rushed him from behind, around 2:30 pm. The robber snatched his black bag, which held a cellphone and $31.

Police Officer Frank Liuzzi of the 88th Precinct later caught up with the suspect, and arrested the teen on robbery charges. He found the bag with all the victim’s belongings on the teen, cops said.

Armed heist

A man was robbed while walking on Dekalb Avenue shortly after midnight on March 22, police said.

The 31-year-old was near South Portland Avenue when a trio of strangers rushed him from behind. One held up a black handgun and demanded he turn over any money.

The victim gave them $60 and the thugs also stole his keys to both home and his nearby business, and a Metrocard. The man said he couldn’t identify the thieves.

Baby-buggy blues

Mothers, guard your carriages. The baby-buggy thieves are back.

A 34-year-old woman lost her wallet to a woman who snatched it from the back of her baby’s stroller while she was shopping at an Atlantic Avenue mall on March 20, police said.

The victim saw the young, black woman in a white jacket and blue jeans grab the purse from the back of the carriage around 1 pm. The thief, who smelled like marijuana, cops said, bolted with $45, various credit cards, ID, and her medical insurance information.

Innocence lost

Kids. You just can’t trust ’em, these days.

That’s what one woman learned while shopping at a discount department store on Atlantic Avenue on March 25, police said.

The 30-year-old was in aisle C54 at the store, near Flatbush Avenue, around noon when a 10-year-old boy bumped into her. She thought nothing of it at the time, but when she reached the checkout counter and felt for her wallet, it was gone.

Although security cameras didn’t catch the crime, the victim described the young thief as a 4-foot-5, 100-pound black boy. The Nine West bag held her Social Security card, bank information, photographs of her kids and $23.

Berry picked

Someone swiped a Blackberry and a wallet from a man walking along Vanderbilt Avenue on March 22, police said.

The 26-year-old victim was near Willoughby Street around 9:30 pm when someone grabbed the electrical organizer out of his hand and plucked his wallet. He escaped with the device, various credit cards and $20.

Target teacher

Talk about a lesson you won’t forget.

That was the unfortunate truth for a young teacher at a high school on Willoughby Street off Ashland Place, on March 22. Police said someone swiped a bag from the 22-year-old between 2 pm and 3:30 pm and escaped with a backpack and wallet with an MP3 player, keys, credit cards, a driver’s license and $20.

©2007 Community Newspaper Group