May 12, 2007 / News / Police Blotter / Brooklyn Heights–Downtown / Carroll Gardens–Cobble Hill / Fort Greene–Clinton Hill

Gun heists shatter DUMBO’s calm

By Lilo H. Stainton

The Brooklyn Paper

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Life in trendy DUMBO isn’t always as hip and happy as it seems. At least not after dark.

Two people were robbed by separate pairs of thieves who showed off — or claimed to have — handguns on the cobblestone streets of one of downtown Brooklyn’s hottest neighborhoods within days of each other last week, police said.

One man was struck and blacked out while the thugs made off with his wallet and cellphone. The other man lost only $20 before a specialized police unit happened on the scene and scared the thieves away.

It is not clear if the crimes or related, or involve the same suspects. But the incidents were unusual in an area better known for art galleries and cappuccinos than violent crime.

In the first attack, on May 3 on Water Street near Jay Street, a 27-year-old man was walking along, around 1:20 am, when he heard footsteps behind him. Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder and said, “Give me your money.”

The mugger then showed off a black handgun and hit the victim in the back of the head. A second thug emerged from the shadows and egged him on: “Knock him out and take his bag,” the newcomer insisted.

The victim pulled $20 from his pocket and offered it to the thieves in what he hoped would be a parting gift. That’s when the 84th Precinct’s criminal investigation unit rolled up and the robbers scattered.

The thieves dashed into a Bridge Street building down the block and the police gave chase. The officers searched the building from bottom to top, but couldn’t find the offenders.

They are now looking for a 5-foot-8 black man, who wore a yellow jacket, who is described as the gunman; and a 5-foot-6 black man who was allegedly his accomplice.

Two days later, a 28-year-old man was attacked as he was walking down Bridge Street.

He was nearing the corner of Water Street, at 10:40 pm, when the first thug attacked him from behind. The stranger threw an arm around his neck and warned, “We have a gun — give me your money.”

Then a second thief appeared on his left side, and one of the two punched the victim in his face. The man blacked out and when he came to, some time later, the robbers were gone — along with his wallet. The $300 leather billfold held $15, credit cards and his Florida driver’s license. The thieves also swiped his Motorola Razr cellphone.

Thief toppled

You could call it throwing someone a curve.

A van driver who almost lost his wheels on May 6 outwitted a would-be thief with some swift thinking and savvy driving skills.

The 30-year-old was parked on Fourth Avenue, near Atlantic Avenue, around 1:30 pm when a stranger burst through the back doors of the van. The man insisted he would hurt the driver if the victim didn’t turn over the keys to the vehicle.

Instead, the victim took action. He stepped on the gas and sped away, then swerved the van so the invader lost his balance.

With the wanna-be robber sprawled on the floor of the van — the driver flagged down Officer Raffie Chintamani. The 84th Precinct cop arrested the 20-year-old Brooklyn man on robbery charges.

Gotcha

Sometimes, good words are meaningless. Especially when the speaker robs you afterwards.

That was the case on May 3, when a man greeted a stranger with “good morning” — then snatched her purse and ran, police said.

The 27-year-old victim was walking along Jay Street, near Prospect Street, around 6:30 am when she passed the well-wisher. He greeted her and kept going, then suddenly wheeled around, swiped her bag, then bolted down Jay Street with her designer purse, which held an iPod and $25.

Lobby heist

The woman talking on her cellphone and just about to enter her State Street building was mugged on May 1, police said.

At around 11 pm, the 26-year-old arrived at the door of her building, which is near Bond Street. Suddenly, a man appeared behind her and said, “I don’t want to hurt you. Just give me the phone.”

The woman turned over her Samsung device and the thief ran off on Bond Street.

Pen assault

A man on a bike stabbed another man with a writing instrument on Fulton Street on May 4, police said.

The 20-year-old victim was walking near Hoyt Street around 11:20 pm when the stranger peddled up. The man plunged what seemed to be a pen into his chest and then raced away down Hoyt Street.

Dumb thugs

A plot by two would-be muggers to rob a man as he walked on Myrtle Avenue on May 5 was going perfectly except for one minor detail — the dumb thieves forgot to take the man’s wallet

The 23-year-old victim had neared the corner of Emerson Place, chatting on his cellphone at around 5 pm, when the first attacker grabbed him. Then a second thug appeared, threw the chatty victim to the ground and punched and kicked him. After a struggle, the attackers ran down Emerson Place.

“Did you get his wallet?” the second brute asked the first as they bolted. Apparently, the first thief had not, since the victim said nothing was stolen.

Police are looking for a pair of black men, both described as about 20 years old, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds. One was dressed in a brown baseball hat and a blue jacket and the other chose blue jeans and a white tank top.

Drive-by time

It was just like the bad old days. Gunshots shattered the pre-dawn quiet on Myrtle Avenue once again when someone in a black car fired at a man on the street on May 5, police said.

The 28-year-old victim showed up at Brooklyn Hospital with a gunshot wound on his hand. After treatment, he told police he was hit around 5 am, as he was walking near Carlton Avenue. Someone inside a black Dodge Intrepid with tinted windows had fired two shots.

Buggy blues

When is a bargain not a bargain? When your wallet disappears during the hunt for savings, for one.

That became evident for one busy Brooklyn mom during a May 1 shopping excursion to Target, the discount anchor at the Atlantic Terminal Mall, police said.

The 29-year-old had stashed her wallet inside her baby stroller as she shopped from noon until 1:30 pm. When she made her way to the cash register to pay, she realized that her wallet had disappeared.

Gardens burg

Thieves snatched cash and blank checks from an Amity Street home on April 28, police said.

It’s not clear how the burglars got into the building, which is near Clinton Street. But police said they entered between 1 and 9 pm and left with $280 and numerous blank checks in the name of the 50-year-old victim.

Thoughtless

A cracked window was all that the burglar needed.

That’s how someone forced his way into a Huntington Street home on April 24 to steal video game consoles and cassettes valued at more than $1,000, police said.

The 36-year-old victim said she opened the windows when she left her apartment, in a building near Henry Street, around 8:30 am. When she came home, at 6:30 pm, she found the rooms in disarray and her games missing. The thief had snatched an Xbox, a Nintendo system and a PlayStation 2 and $500 in games.

On the way out, he also left the screen in the window open and abandoned the front door unlocked.

Robber nabbed

Police arrested a man with a razor blade after he robbed a teenager near the dividing line between Carroll Gardens and Red Hook on May 2.

The 25-year-old suspect allegedly tried to slash the victim when he attacked the boy, just before 9 pm on the corner of Court and Luquer streets. He swiped $25 from the 19-year-old, then bolted.

But he didn’t get far. Police picked up the alleged thief a few blocks away, near Court and Huntington streets. In addition to the blade, the suspect had a hypodermic needle in his pockets, which is illegal to carry around.

Cable guy rob

He may be annoying — in the movie and in real life — but this time, the Cable Guy was the victim.

Someone burglarized the truck of a cable company representative while he was on a job in Red Hook on April 26, police said.

The 34-year-old employee left the van on Hicks Street, not far from Lorraine Street, around 5 pm. When he returned, just a short time later, the windows had been smashed and two cellphones he owned were missing from inside. The victim said he had locked the door, but left the windows open a crack.

Mystery moves

Someone withdrew more than $1,000 from a stranger’s account at several banks in Brooklyn — all while the victim still had his ATM card in his wallet, police said.

The 42-year old said the money disappeared from accounts between noon on April 26 and the same time the following day. It’s not clear how the thief got his account number — or personal identification code — without having the card.

They want to suck your blood

They want to suck your blood.

But it’s not a vampire thing. It’s a lifesaving thing.

Police at the 76th Precinct are conducting a blood drive on May 31, from 2 to 7pm. Healthy people are invited to help save lives — and score some Oreos and orange juice in the process — by stopping by the stationhouse, at 191 Union St., between Henry and Hicks streets.

For information, call the Community Affairs officers at the 76th Precinct at (718) 834-3211.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper