Going nowhere fast
If he’s lucky, he’ll get out of jail at the ripe old age of 468.
A 31-year-old man who raped three women, burglarized three others and held up a cab driver with a shotgun in East Flatbush was sentenced to 437 years behind bars after he was convicted of all of his crimes.
Prosecutors said that the amazingly hefty sentenced was handed down Tuesday against Boker Thomas during a brief court appearance.
Back on January 29, Thomas was found guilty of six counts of rape in the first degree, five counts of criminal sexual act in the first degree, five counts of burglary in the first degree, two counts of burglary in the second degree, three counts of robbery in the first degree and one count of robbery in the third degree.
Prosecutors said that in February and March of 2008 Thomas followed several women into their apartment buildings in the Van Dyke Houses in Brownsville. The women he raped ranged in age from 15 to 30. He would sexually abuse them on the roof of the building after pulling a knife on them in the elevator.
His rage extended to East Flatbush, where he pulled a shotgun on a livery cab driver at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lenox Road.
In that case, however, the tables were turned on Thomas. After being robbed of his cash, the cabbie reportedly chased Thomas down the street. Thomas ditched his jacket — which contained his shotgun — in the pursuit.
Investigators connected Thomas to this slew of crimes through a DNA match to one rape. His fingerprints were also found at a second rape, prosecutors said.
Burglar bust
An 18-year-old has been connected to a burglary spree inside an East 56th Street apartment building last week.
Officials alleged that Shyquan Davis and another man raided three apartments in the building, located near Clarkson Avenue, sometime after noon on January 12.
The two reportedly forced open the front doors and ransacked the homes of valuables. One of the apartments was on the first floor. The remaining two were on the second floor.
After a month-long investigation cops took Davis into custody last week, charging him with burglary in the second degree, criminal mischief and criminal tresspass.
His accomplice was still at large as this paper went to press.
Gunned down
Cops are looking for the triggerman who ended the life of a 33-year-old in East Flatbush last week.
Police said that they were called to East 95th Street between East New York Avenue and Rutland Road just before midnight on February 9 on a report of shots fired.
When they arrived at the scene, they found Sheldon Christopher suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the body. He was rushed to Kings County Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward.
Calls can be made to the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Dog day afternoon
Arrests are expected to be handed down in the now infamous Salty Dog brawl where a group of local firefighters allegedly brutalized a group of revelers over a spilled drink.
Sources said that the city’s Department of Investigation was expected to release their findings within the next few days about the fight, which was reportedly caught on video.
Four men were at the bar, located at 7509 Third Avenue, back on January 29 when one of them knocked into a firefighter, spilling his drink.
That’s when, according to published reports, a dozen firefighters jumped the quartet, dragging one of the men into a bathroom where he was viciously beaten.
Some of the firefighters involved were members of Engine Company 310 in East Flatbush. All of the active firefighters were off duty at the time of the incident.
Officials said that the victims initially did not want to press charges, but soon changed their mind after hiring lawyer Joe Tacopina.
Tacopina told reporters that he and his clients are waiting for the outcome of the investigation before deciding if they should sue the FDNY.
Help wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are now offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can lead them to graffiti vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti, which is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police.
Officials said that cleaning up graffiti is essential to the plan, to show that the community is no longer going to tolerate marred and tagged-up walls and street corners.
According to police, there is a perception that if a community will tolerate graffiti, they will tolerate other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and prostitution.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.
