Cigarette take

A pushy punk stole a man’s backpack while he smoked on the corner of Fulton Street and Clinton Avenue on Feb. 25.

The victim said that the thief approached him at around noon and said, “What do you have?”

Before the victim could explain that he was a bit short at the moment, the thief rifled his pockets and came up empty-handed.

But this thief wasn’t done. When the victim tried to walk away, the perp grabbed his backpack and screamed, “Don’t walk away!”

He successfully got the backpack and fled into a nearby subway station. It’s likely that the thief was displeased with his efforts: the backpack contained mostly school work and books.

Invisible offender

A sneaky snatcher struck from behind to steal a woman’s wallet on DeKalb Avenue on Feb. 22.

The victim told cops that she was near Hall Street at around 1:15 pm when the thief jabbed something into her back and demanded that she hand over her wallet. She did, and the perp escaped.

Transit tricksters

It was a bad week for lady bus passengers. Here’s a round-up:

• A perp stole a woman’s credit cards and Blackberry from her pocket when he rubbed up against her on B39 on DeKalb Avenue on Feb. 23.

The victim said that she noticed that her goods were missing when she got off the bus arrived at Ashland Avenue at around 9:30 am.

• Another jerk stole a woman’s wallet from her purse while riding the same bus two days later.

The victim told cops that she got off the bus at Vanderbilt Avenue at around 3:30 pm and stalked the sneaky thief for several blocks. She called the cops after she lost sight of him.

Apple cored

A perp stole $8,000 of electronics — including a fancy Apple laptop — from the Metropolitan Exchange Bank building on Flatbush Avenue on Feb. 21.

The victim told cops that the thief must have sneaked into his office at around 3 pm while he was downstairs waiting for a plumber in the building, which is near Fulton Street.

Buffalo bill

A perp swiped an employee’s wallet from a workers-only area at the Buffalo Wild Wings on Flatbush Avenue on Feb. 23.

The victim told cops that the theft must have happened before 9:30 am when she went into the back room to retrieve her purse. That’s when she discovered that it was gone.

Diner dash

A devious diner nabbed a woman’s red leather bag from under her seat while she ate at a South Portland Avenue restaurant on Feb. 27.

The victim told cops that she didn’t notice the grab until after her meal was over at Cafe Lafayette, which is near Lafayette Avenue, at around 9:30 pm. But a witness said that when she entered the eatery, she saw a woman holding the very same red leather bag as she left.

— Claire Glass

©2010 Community Newspaper Group