November 24, 2007: Vol. 30, No. 46

A couple’s Nov. 18 shopping spree ended just about as badly as it could have, when five men attacked them in a Fulton Street store and made of with nearly $13,000 in valuables.

The lovebirds, both in their early 30s, had been up and down Fulton Mall and were in a boutique at the corner of Hanover Place around 5:30 pm when the thugs struck.

The man was trying on jewelry when the perps entered the store and grabbed him from behind, punching him in the face and taking his property.

His girlfriend ran at them, hoping to intervene, but the attackers just grabbed her shopping bag before running out into the street.

The items stolen included a pair of white metal neck chains; two white metal pendants costing $3,500 each; and a maroon leather jacket worth $600.

Sticky fingers

If you want a pair of $11,000 earrings but don’t technically have $11,000, what are you to do? One man came up with a solution on Nov. 15 — the ol’ grab and run.

Cops say the perp walked into a jewelry store on the Fulton Mall, near Bridge Street, at around 4 pm and asked to see a set of platinum and diamond earrings worth a year’s rent. The sales clerk complied and brought them out of the glass case, but instead of contemplating a purchase, the man grabbed them out and ran out of the store.

Forgot demand

A 17-year-old boy was attacked in McLaughlin Park on Nov. 15 by a man who ended up leaving without taking anything.

The teen was in the park, at the corner of Tillary and Jay streets, at around 8 am when the 5-foot-10 mugger approached him and demanded, “Give me $5 and your PSP.”

The victim refused, so the man punched him in the face and threw him to the ground. At that point, the violent man appeared to forget about his wish list, and ran off without taking anything.

Leather bandits

A trio of thieves ripped off a Fulton Street store specializing in leather on Nov. 12.

The thugs, all husky men wearing black sweatshirts or jackets, entered the store, which is near Elm Place, at around 5:30 pm.

The biggest one, a 5-foot-10, 270-pound hulk with a scar on his face, picked up two leather jackets worth $930 apiece, and as his cronies distracted store employees, he put both jackets underneath his coat — which is believable, considering the man’s girth. They vacated the premises as fast as possible, booking it down the street.

Jawbreakers

A kid walking home from school on Nov. 7 suffered a broken jaw after a pair of violent muggers attacked him and left him lying on the sidewalk without stealing anything.

The 17-year-old was walking on Pacific Street near Fourth Avenue around 2:30 when a guy approached him and said, “What’s up?”

Things got much worse in a hurry, as a second man sneaked up on the teen and punched him in the side of the face, hard enough to crack his jaw.

The first perp shoved the victim against a nearby car and ordered, “Run your pockets!” They roughed him up, but weren’t able to get anything off of him before the puncher said, “Let’s go,” and the thugs fled empty-handed.

Hold on

A woman was understandably reluctant to give up her purse, but her efforts to save her possessions only resulted in a beating on Nov. 12.

The 52-year-old was walking on Sands Street under the BQE overpass — a popular site for muggings — at around 6:30 pm when four men attacked her, throwing her to the ground and snatching her purse.

At least, they tried to. She wouldn’t let go, so they began punching her in the face and elsewhere, giving her a chipped tooth and a bruised knee.

In the end, her resistance was for naught, as the not-so-fab four took off with the purse, which contained $80, glasses, a cellphone, and an $86 Metrocard.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper