June 16, 2007 / Brooklyn news / Police Blotter / Brooklyn Heights–Downtown

Unlucky man robbed twice in one week

By Lilo H. Stainton

The Brooklyn Paper

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Talk about a bad week.

A 22-year-old Brooklyn man suffered a string of bad luck when he was held up twice in four days, police said.

The first robbery occurred on June 3, around 10:45 pm. The victim was walking on Dean Street, near Boerum Place in Boerum Hill, when a stranger came along, asking for money. The kind-hearted young man offered the vagrant $4, but when the bum got a peek inside the donor’s wallet, he noticed a twenty-dollar bill. The begger asked for the larger bill.

When the victim eventually agreed, it still wasn’t enough. The bum saw another 20 still tucked inside the wallet and made a grab for the billfold. The man soon caved in and gave him the second large bill — for a grand total of $44 — and the thug thanked him with a threat: “Don’t do something that I’m going to regret.”

The victim could only describe the thief as an older black man with wrinkled skin.

Later that week, the victim was hit again.

On June 7, he was walking on Front Street, near Gold Street in Vinegar Hill, at around 10:30 pm when a pair of strangers — one on a bike, the other walking — stopped him.

The rider asked for the time — at first — then expanded his request to include donations, specifically the victim’s cellphone, wallet and iPod. The thief threatened to shoot him if he didn’t pony up, and then reached for his waist in a threatening way.

The victim turned over his valuables — an iPod with headphones, a flip phone and a leather wallet valued at $280, but holding only $10 — to the second thug, and the pair disappeared.

Police said that both thieves were black men dressed in white shirts, with the bike-rider around age 17 and 5-foot-8.

Wired for crime

June 9 was a black hole for cellphone shoppers.

Two downtown Brooklyn wireless stores became crime scenes that day during unrelated events that included a disappearing purse and the theft of $1,200 in phones, police said.

The first incident occurred in a Fulton Street cellphone shop near the corner of Bridge Street, around 1:30 pm. A woman came into the store and made a purchase but left her wallet on the counter. When she realized her mistake moments later, the wallet was already gone. The billfold held credit cards, a school ID, a bank card and $190.

Just over an hour later, thieves struck a cellphone store on Court Street, near the corner of Montague Street. A 30-year-old witness saw the burglar snip the cords that hold display cellphones in place and make off with three Motorolas and a Sidekick.

Big burg

Call it a lucky break — for the thief.

Someone snatched nearly $50,000 worth of camera equipment from a Main Street studio last week, police said.

The break in occurred after 3:30 pm on June 6 and business hours the following day at the studio, which is near Front Street. The 33-year-old owner discovered that someone had used a claw hammer to hack a hole into his studio and load up on cameras and other costly equipment.

Upstairs neighbors even heard the racket, but apparently didn’t call police.

The stolen items included video cameras, several laptops, cellphones, a few still cameras — including a Hasselblad — lenses and other items. One digital camera device was worth $33,000 alone.

Laptop loser

Police busted a burglar with two hot laptops in his hands after witnesses saw him fleeing from a Willoughby Street building via the scaffolding on June 6.

It was around 11 pm when the man and woman witnessed the alleged thief damage a second-floor exit on the building, near Bridge Street, and creep down the construction platforms. He then dropped onto the street and ran into a nearby florist shop and tried to pawn off the portable computers.

Not only did the thief not make a sale, but he ran into Police Officer Maria Gilbert. The 41-year-old was arrested on burglary charges on the spot.

©2007 Community Newspaper Group