May 19, 2007 / Brooklyn news / Police Blotter / Brooklyn Heights–Downtown

Teen surrenders cell in Heights

By Lilo H. Stainton

The Brooklyn Paper

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A teenager lost his cellphone to a trio of robbers that attacked him on May 4 on Henry Street, police said.

The 15-year-old victim was at the corner of Joralemon Street, around 7:15 pm, when the three strangers stopped him and asked to use his phone. The teen declined, but one of the men insisted he turn over the device.

Before the stunned boy could respond, the thugs grabbed his cell and his high-end calculator. But then they wanted more.

“Give me your money or I’ll punch you,” one of the thieves insisted.

The boy was cash-less, though, and the thugs fled on Joralemon Street with the two electronics, valued at $500.

Moms go wild

Two women — one of them with her children in tow — got into a brawl on Montague Street that ended with one of the women under arrest and facing grand larceny charges, police said.

The 43-year-old victim stopped by a bank branch, near Henry Street, around 12:45 pm on May 12. She was using the ATM when an argument broke out between her and another woman. Eventually, the dispute got physical, and the suspect began kicking and punching the victim.

The woman said she fought back to save herself and her children, but the attacker was still able to steal her wallet. But as the thief started to run, the wallet fell open and most of the contents spilled to the pavement.

Luckily, Police Officer Tamar Keaton of the 84th Precinct happened upon the scene. She arrested the 48-year-old attacker and recovered the wallet, which still held several credit cards and the victim’s drivers license.

Bus bust

May 10 was no ordinary day on the B65.

Police arrested an older man after he beat a bus driver with his wooden cane during a pre-dawn trip down Atlantic Avenue.

The 68-year-old suspect now faces assault charges after he attacked the driver when the man tried to break up a fight the senior had started with another passenger, police said. The 47-year-old driver, a New Jersey resident, suffered bruises and swelling on his chest after he was lashed by the senior around 2:30 am.

Problems began after the bus picked up the suspect at the corner Jay and Livingston streets and the rider quickly got into a debate with another passenger. When the driver reached Atlantic Avenue, he stopped the bus and tried to intercede. Instead, the angry senior turned his aggressions on the driver.

When police arrived, they searched the area and could not find the suspect — at first. But when they checked the emergency room at Long Island College Hospital down the street, they found their man. There was no mention of any injuries to the senior in the police report.

Wheely gone

Cars seemed to suffer more than people last week when it came to crime in Brooklyn Heights and DUMBO — especially if they were parked on Willow Street, police reports showed.

At least three cars were burglarized on Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights, and at least three more were stolen between May 3 and May 12, police said.

Police would not say if they view the crimes as a trend. The attacks included:

• A 2004 Vespa motorbike stolen from Clinton Street, near State Street. The 31-year-old owner parked the $3,500 scooter around 7 pm on May 3 and when he returned at 11 pm on May 6, it was gone.

• A 2004 Toyota RAV4 parked on Willow Street, near Pineapple Street, that lost its airbags. The 73-year-old owner parked the small SUV just after midnight on May 5 and returned at 8 am on May 8 to find a rear window broken, the interior trashed and the safety devices missing.

• A 1996 Toyota Camry was stolen from Flatbush Avenue, near Myrtle Avenue, on May 8. The owner, a 51-year-old Queens man, left the car at 10 am and returned an hour and a half later to find it gone.

• Another ’96 Toyota Camry disappeared from Wyckoff Street, between Court and Smith streets, between 1:15 pm and 5:30 pm the same day. The woman’s car also held a costly GPS system, a boom box, a CD player, an iPod charger, a flashlight, a shovel and a case of spring water.

• A 2005 Chevrolet van was burglarized on May 9, while parked on Willow Street, near Orange Street. The 17-year-old owner left the car at 3:30 pm and returned an hour later to find the driver’s-side window broken and $2,700 in power tools and electronics, including a $1,000 GPS, stolen.

• And airbags were stolen from a 2006 Honda CRV parked on Willow Street, near Clark Street. The 38-year-old owner, who lives up the block, left the car around 7 pm on May 11 and returned at 10 am the next day to find the safety devices, valued at up to $4,000 together, missing.

Transit heist

Police nabbed a man who robbed a Queens resident at knifepoint inside the Borough Hall subway station on May 12.

The 22-year-old suspect allegedly grabbed a younger man around the neck with his weapon drawn as the victim waited for a Brooklyn-bound train shortly after 7 am. The thief snatched $100 from the 20-year-old’s back pocket and bolted, but he didn’t get far.

Instead, he ran into Transit Police Officer Roxana Carranza inside the station, which is beneath at Court and Joralemon streets. After a struggle, she handcuffed the alleged thief. The officer found a boxcutter in his pocket, but no cash, she said.

©2007 Community Newspaper Group