June 3, 2011: Vol. 34, No. 23

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June 3, 2011 / Brooklyn news

Gutter bawls! Gunpoint robbery at Maple Lanes nets $80K

By Dan MacLeod

The Brooklyn Paper

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Two gunmen made off with $80,000 from Bensonhurst’s Maple Lanes bowling alley in a brazen daylight robbery on Wednesday afternoon.

Cops say the men entered the venerable 16th Avenue bowling center through the rear door on the 61st Street side of the building at 4:30 pm and headed straight to the basement, where four employees were counting the cash at a table.

Pedulla Tile

Police say the robbers, who were brandishing handguns, made off with $80,000 without firing a shot or injuring anyone.

Management confirmed the amount taken, but declined further comment.

A source said that the crooks knew what they were doing — and when to do it, as this particularly Wednesday night was a night when bowling league’s would be handing out money from competitions.

The big haul comes as the future of Maple Lanes is up in the air. The owners of the beloved 48-lane bowling Mecca are trying to convince the city to let them rezone their land to allow for a synagogue and apartments. Such a move would mean the end of the 51-year-old alley.

Police urge anyone with information about the robbery to call the Crimestoppers hotline at (800) 577-8477.

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Reader Feedback

insider job from people talk says:

Insider Job

June 3, 2011, 1:31 pm

do they pay tax from or LIE on taxes says:

its funny how they had $80,000 CA$H stolen from them. But they claim on TAXES that they are NOT MAKING MONEY.
Something is fishy...

June 3, 2011, 1:33 pm

hipsta hata from bedbugsburg says:

Hurry up and close that alley before the neighborhood gets infested with hipsters, and bedbugs.

June 3, 2011, 3:04 pm

anon from bklyn says:

it wasnt there money that got robbed. people bowl all year and pay for the privilege. at the end of the year, the teams get a payout, 1st place to last place. the day they got robbed was 'pay out' day to the league bowlers. maple might have been the target, but it was the league bowlers pockets that the $ came from and was supposed to go back to.

June 3, 2011, 3:40 pm

MRSDM from Bklyn says:

@anon exactly right....maple already was paid their lineage all year long...the sec/treasurers already got paid too....they stole the money from all the league bowlers....not the bowling alley.....laspina should do the right thing and make good on it and put up the money for the bowlers.......he has enough of it!!!!!!!!!

June 3, 2011, 3:47 pm

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