88th Precinct
Fort Greene–Clinton Hill
Outside the box
Police arrested a man who they say stole a kid’s cellphone, then threatened a bunch of bystanders with a box-cutter inside the Fulton Street G train station on Aug. 4.
The 12-year-old victim said he was standing on the subway platform at 3:37 pm when the guy approached and asked to see his phone.
The boy handed it over, then asked for it back, cops said.
“You don’t know who you are messing with,” the suspect retorted, per police. “Just go before I knock you out.”
Other straphangers tried to intervene and the guy pulled out what looked like a box-cutter and started waving it around, according to a police report. Cops caught up to the 52-year-old suspect at the corner of Lafayette and S. Portland avenues, arrested him, and found a crack pipe in his pocket, the report says.
Grounds for choking
A guy with anger issues choked another man inside of a coffee shop on Flushing Avenue on Aug. 6 after a confrontation in the bathroom, cops said.
The 34-year-old victim said he was in the restroom of the shop between Waverly and Washington avenues at 7 pm when the two got into an argument.
The fight turned physical when the guy punched the victim in the face and started choking him, police said. Paramedics took the victim to the Brooklyn Hospital Center, and the assailant got away, police said.
Drive time
Three vehicles were reported stolen this week. Here’s how they stack up:
• A daring thief stole a motorcycle from in front of an apartment on Lafayette Avenue on Aug. 4 and wheeled it away as the owner watched, according to a police report.
The owner told cops she was getting ready for work at 5:22 am when she heard a commotion in front of her building between Grand and Classon avenues.
She looked out her window and saw someone wheeling the 2008 Honda down street, but by the time she had grabbed her glasses to get a better look, the crook had rode off, police said. A lock that was affixed to the bike was also taken, but its canvas cover was left behind, cops said.
• An antisocial auto-phile drove off in a car from its Park Avenue and Navy Street parking spot sometime between Aug. 3 and 4, the authorities said.
The owner left his 1997 Dodge near the intersection at 9 pm on Aug. 3, and when he returned at 10 the next morning it was gone, police reported.
• A sneak stole a rental car from a lot on Washington Avenue and the theft went unnoticed for two weeks, police reported.
The car was last seen in the lot between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue on July 26 at 7 am, according to officers. A worker for the rental company noticed it was gone when doing inventory at 12:30 pm on Aug. 6, the NYPD said.
Bikes ride away
Two bicycles took unsanctioned trips and never returned this week, according to reports. Here’s the rundown:
• A sneak thief stole a folding electric bike from in front of a Myrtle Avenue restaurant on Aug. 9, cops said.
The owner left his ride unattended in front of the restaurant between Washington Avenue and Hall Street at 12:45 pm while he picked up some food, police said. When he came out 10 minutes later, the bike had been stolen, officers recounted.
• Another set of wheels was filched from the lobby of a Grand Avenue building sometime between Aug. 6 and 7, police said.
The victim said he left the bike in the lobby of the building between Gates and Putnam avenues at 10:30 pm on Aug. 6 and, when returned at 9:30 the next morning, it was gone.
Car take
A burglar made off with a bunch of tools and a music player from a car near Gates Avenue and Cambridge Place on Aug. 6, law enforcement officials said.
The company that owns the auto reported that a driver parked it near the intersection at 11 am, and when the motorist returned two hours later, the door locks had been busted. The crooks took three drills, a portable music player, and a pair of headphones, Police Department officials related.
Snatch catch
Cops cuffed a man who they say snatched a woman’s purse near the corner of Willoughby and Vanderbilt avenues on Aug. 7.
The victim said she was standing on the corner at 8:20 pm when a man came by and yanked away her green purse. Police responded and chased the suspect for two blocks, according to a police report.
When they caught up to the guy, he started flailing his arms and resisted arrest, the report says.
Hack hacked
A stealthy operator plucked a cabbie’s wallet while he helped a passenger unload some packages in front of a Classon Avenue building on Aug. 1,the authorities said.
The 38-year-old hack reported he dropped off the fare between Park and Myrtle avenues at 4 pm and got out of the car to help with some belongings.
A witness saw the sneak creep into the cab and take the wallet while the cabbie was helping, according to a police report. The wallet contained $20 in cash and a credit card, which the thief charged $400 to, cops said.
Cold case
A prowler stole an air conditioner, copper pipes, and plumbing tools from a vacant commercial building on Myrtle Avenue sometime between July 15 and Aug. 2, law enforcement officials said.
A man reported the theft at 1 pm on Aug. 2, after he noticed the building’s rear window had been broken. He had last seen the items at 3 pm on July 15, according to the NYPD.
The building between Waverly and Clinton avenues is being renovated, officers said.
Low blow
A goon pushed over a cyclist near the corner of Lafayette and Carlton avenues on Aug. 5 and stole her bag, cops said.
The victim reported she was riding home at 5:54 pm when the fiend knocked her off the bike, grabbed her bag, which contained some cash and a cellphone, and scrammed, according to the authorities.
Bust a cup
Cops arrested a woman for allegedly assaulting another woman with a plastic cup in front of a Clermont Avenue building on Aug. 5, police said.
The victim said she got off the bus at 10:51 am and was walking between Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue when the suspect started arguing with her.
The suspect cut her in the cheek with the cup, cops said.
Wait in pain
A fiend shot a man while he sat in a car on the corner of Park and N. Portland avenues on Aug. 6, NYPD officers said.
The victim was sitting in the front passenger-side seat of the car at 6:41 pm when bullets hit him in the face and both wrists, according to a police report. The driver took him to Brooklyn Hospital Center, the report says.
— Matthew Perlman
