84th Precinct
Brooklyn Heights–DUMBO–Boerum Hill–Downtown
Celled hostage
Authorities arrested a 25-year-old man who they say snagged a cellphone someone dropped in a department store on Fulton Street on May 9 and tried to get the owner to pay him $150 to return it.
The phone’s owner told police he dropped it at 1 pm, while he was using the fitting room of the store between Gallatin Place and Hoyt Street. He could not find the phone, but he received an e-mail from the accused not long thereafter saying he had found the phone and wanted $150 to return it, cops said.
Bad boyfriend
A 24-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly beat up his girlfriend and took her phone on State Street on May 13.
Authorities said the suspect was in his girlfriend’s apartment between Bond and Nevins streets at 1:30 am when she asked him to leave. The guy got angry, took her phone, and started to choke her, according to a police report.
The suspect bashed her against the wall several times, then let her go and she called the police, the report says.
Violent ex
Cops are looking for an 18-year-old man who they say viciously attacked his ex-girlfriend on a sidewalk on May 15.
The 22-year-old victim told cops the brute followed her for a few blocks before chasing her down and shoving her to the ground near the corner of Fleet Street and Flatbush Avenue Extension at 7 pm. The lowlife then pushed her up against a wall, throttled her, and head-butted her, then scrammed, according to a police report.
Break and take
An intruder broke into a man’s Wyckoff Street apartment on May 13 and stole his camera and some cash, law enforcement officials said.
The victim said he left the apartment between Smith and Hoyt streets at 9 am, and when he came back at 8:53 that night, he found the lock on his front door broken. The burglar made off with $230 in cash, a digital camera, and a lens, cops said.
Funny money card
Police arrested a 24-year-old on May 13 after they say he tried to withdraw $2,000 using a fake Visa card and fraudulent identification on Flatbush Avenue.
Cops said the scam artist entered a check cashing place between Schermerhorn and State streets at 11:11 pm. He tried to pass the fake card, and when cops responded they found two more bogus pieces of plastic on his person, according to a police report.
Subway steal
A sneak-thief swiped a 65-year-old out-of-towner’s wallet while he was on the 2 train on May 10, cops stated.
The tourist said he was in a crowded subway car at 6:45 pm and was bumped several times. At the Clark Street station, near the intersection of Henry and Clark streets, the train emptied out and the unfortunate fellow was able to get a seat, according to police.
Once he sat down, he noticed his wallet was missing, officers said. The victim told cops the wallet contained $120 in cash, plus his debit card.
Disorder in the court
Cops arrested a 50-year-old man after he supposedly flipped out in Kings County Civil Court on Livingston Street on May 15, injuring two court officers who tried to arrest him.
The bad-tempered suspect was appearing in a courtroom between Smith Street and Boerum Place at 3:15 pm, according to a police report. The judge asked him to step back from the bench and the man became belligerent, yelling loudly, the report says.
A court officer tried to calm the man down, asking him to lower his voice and listen to the judge, cops said. When a second court officer attempted to lead the man out of the courtroom, he grabbed her wrist and started hitting her, according to cops. The two officers eventually got the guy in to custody, but both were injured in the process, police said.
Roaming three
A tricky trio stole seven cellphones from a store on Montague Street on May 15, police reported.
An employee in the cellphone store, between Clinton and Henry streets, said he saw the three 20-something sneaks enter the store at 6:35 pm, grab the goods, and take off running.
Mean teen
Cops cuffed a 15-year-old who they say pushed a 63-year-old man down the stairs of a York Street apartment building on May 15, causing him to break his ankle.
The older man told cops he and the teen tough got into a spat inside their building in the Farragut Houses between Gold and Bridge streets at 8:15 pm. The punk gave the guy a shove and he fell down four stairs, breaking his left ankle, according to police.
— Matthew Perlman