December 1, 2007: Vol. 30, No. 47

A woman walking out of the subway ran into a purse-snatcher who roughed her up before taking her bag on Nov. 21.

The 34-year-old was walking out of DUMBO’s York Street station, near Jay Street, at around 10 pm when a middle-aged man ran up to her, punched her, slapped her, and grabbed her purse before running into the bowels of the subway system.

The woman sustained no serious injuries, but didn’t get a good look at the guy either.

Fulton foiled

A pair of crooks who had apparently watched too many movies where the bad guy gets away tried and failed to rob a Fulton Street bank on Nov. 19.

The two men entered the bank, near Pearl Street, around 1 pm. They sidled up to the teller, and, as one of them pretended to hold a gun in his pocket, said, “Give me all the big bills, and don’t given me any ink,” evidently referring to the exploding packets that are often placed inside bags of stolen cash.

The teller complied, but also hit the silent alarm to alert police. By the time the would-be bank robbers got outside, the cops were waiting for them.

Wire transfer

A pair of thieves sneaked into a Flatbush Avenue construction site on Nov. 16 and helped themselves to the most valuable thing they could find — $1,500 worth of copper wire.

The perps busted through the fence surrounding the site, near Myrtle Avenue, around 10 pm and although they were noticed by security cameras nearby, they were wearing dark clothing and not readily identifiable, cops said.

Cab crime

People are always complaining about getting cheated by cab drivers, but on Nov. 21, it was a cabby on the short end of the stick, as his wallet was taken by a sneaky perp.

The 24-year-old driver parked his cab on Bergen Street near Smith Street around 1:30 pm to take a short break. He left the vehicle unattended for only a few minutes, but when he came back, his wallet had vanished, along with his credit cards, $80, and most important for a cabby, his driver’s license.

Five-on-one

Five men attacked one on Nov. 18, and, not surprisingly, the five guys won.

The 34-year-old victim was walking down Fulton Street around 5:30 pm when the gang of toughs approached him near the corner of Hanover Place. They let their fists do the talking, grabbing and punching him repeatedly before going through his pockets and relieving him of his property.

It happened so quickly that the man was only able to identify one of the perps afterwards, a man in a white stocking cap and a multi-colored T-shirt.

Desk cleaned

A Nevins Street office worker had a bad day on the job on Nov. 21, when her laptop and phone were stolen right off of her desk.

The 39-year-old woman, whose office is near Flatbush Avenue, left her desk around 11:30 am, and didn’t see the need to lock her door, but when she returned, her laptop, cellphone and credit cards were gone.

Bottle rocket

Rowdy teens stole merchandise from a curbside newspaper stand on Nov. 19, using a bottle as their weapon of choice.

The operator of the newsstand, at the corner of Willoughby Avenue and Jay Street, was minding his business around 8 pm when 5 youths, around 15-years-old, approached.

One threw a glass bottle at the man, injuring him, and the rest swarmed the counter, taking an unspecified amount of cash and magazines before fleeing down Jay Street.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper