88th Precinct
Fort Greene–Clinton Hill
Break-in wave
The break ins have not stopped in Clinton Hill. Three more residents reported burglaries this week, continuing a rash of such incidents that began last week.
First off, a prowler stole a television, two computers, and a pair of headphones from an apartment on Washington Avenue on July 7, according to police.
The 31-year-old victim said he was away from the apartment on Washington between Lafayette and Greene avenues from 8:40 am to 7:15 pm, and when he got home he found the front door unlocked and his things gone.
Then a burglar made off with an acoustic guitar and a capo he stole from a Clinton Avenue pad later the same day, police said.
A 29-year-old resident of the apartment on Clinton between Park and Myrtle avenues reported the musical miscreant must have broken in between 2 and 4 pm. The sneak thief entered through a front window that was open, cops said.
In the final theft, a crook snagged some electronics and jewelry from an apartment between Lafayette and Greene avenues on July 11 or 12, according to a police report.
A 31-year-old woman stated she was out of the house from 2:30 pm on July 11 until 2:40 am the next day, and when she got home she found her DVD player, a laptop, a gold emerald ring, and a pair of gold sapphire earrings taken.
Phone fight
A scoundrel choked a man for his cellphone on July 13 near the corner of Fulton Street and Saint James Place, the authorities said.
The 36-year-old victim reported he was walking on Saint James Place towards Atlantic Avenue at midnight and, as he approached the corner of Fulton Street, the mutineer came over and asked him for a cigarette, according to a police report. When he refused, the scoundrel asked him what was in his pocket, and he told him a phone, the report says. Then the brute asked to see the phone and when the victim pulled it out, the guy snatched it, cops said.
The victim asked for his phone back, and the callous criminal started choking him and said not to follow him when he left, police stated. The punk then took off on Saint James Place towards Gates Avenue, officers said.
Unsettling meal
A sneak stole a woman’s purse from the back of her chair while she ate at a Fulton Street restaurant on July 8, police said.
The 25-year-old diner said she was eating at the establishment between South Portland Avenue and South Elliott Place at 8 pm and returned from a trip to the bathroom to discover her bag vanished. The brown leather purse contained debit and credit cards, according to a police report.
Tool crime
A crafty criminal busted into a car parked on Lafayette Avenue on July 8 and stole a bunch of tools, cops said.
The handy victim told police he left the ride at 2 pm between S. Oxford and Cumberland streets and, when he returned thirty minutes later, the car door’s lock was broken and his tools were gone. The crook took a circular saw, a nail gun, and a power drill, according to a police report.
Stun and run
A fleet-footed thief grabbed a woman’s wallet as he ran past her in Commodore Barry Park on July 7, officers stated.
A 34-year-old mom said she was playing with her kids on the playground in the park, near the Flushing Avenue entrance, at 5:30 pm when the bandit jogged by and took her wallet, which was strapped to her wrist. The woman told cops the billfold contained $20 in cash, a debit card, and some paperwork.
Bike heist
A bicycle thief struck on Flatbush Avenue sometime between July 9 and 12, cops reported.
The 33-year-old owner parked his bike at 10 am on July 9 between Livingston and Nevins streets and then left town for a couple of days, according to a police report. When he returned at 10:15 am on July 12, the bike and its lock were gone, the report says. The cyclist told cops the bike was a Specialized Sirrus Comp.
Car caper
A car thief plied his trade on Waverly Avenue this week, stealing a 2007 Toyota Rav 4 sometime between July 10 and 12, according to the authorities.
The 59-year-old driver said he parked between Willoughby and DeKalb avenues at 9 pm on July 10, and when he returned on July 12 at 9:30 am, the car was nowhere to be found. Officers found broken glass at the scene, as well as the owner’s registration and insurance information, which was left on the curb, according to a police report. They also found a bloody napkin, the report says.
— Matthew Perlman
