Disorder in the court!
An attorney’s coat — with $1,500 in the pocket! — was stolen off a bench inside the criminal courthouse on Schermerhorn Street on Feb. 8.
The victim told cops that he left the jacket in what he thought was a secure location — the inside of the courthouse between Smith Street and Boerum Place — at around 3:30 pm.
But when he returned one hour later, the coat was gone. He lost some ID cards and the cash, which included that most quirky of American currencies: a two-dollar bill.
The incident is a timely reminder that courthouses are filled with lawyers, judges, cops — and criminals, too.
Underground stab
A knife-wielding thug stabbed a man aboard a Brooklyn-bound A train as it pulled into the High Street station in Brooklyn Heights on Feb. 14 — but the perp was quickly collared.
Cops say the knifeman slashed his victim at around 8:35 pm, while the train was under the East River.
But when the train arrived at High Street, cops were on the platform waiting for their man.
Passing notes
A note-passing bank robber got away with more than $700 from a Montague Street branch on Feb. 13.
Cops say that the perp approached the teller at around 12:50 pm and presented a note that said, “This is not a joke. I have a gun. You have 60 seconds.”
The teller acted within the time parameter, passing $729 to the criminal, who asked for the note back and fled on foot from the location, which is between Court and Clinton streets.
He was last seen wearing a ski cap and glasses, though both might have been parts of his disguise.
Car larceny
At least three cars were stolen or broken into last week. Here’s a round-up:
• A 2006 Caddy was stolen from a spot on Gold Street between Water and Front streets in DUMBO on Feb. 11. The victim said that he noticed his $30,000 car was missing at 9 pm, five hours after having parked it.
• A 2007 Land Rover was stolen from inside a parking garage on Jay Street between John and Plymouth streets between 11 pm on Feb. 9 and 4:30 pm on Feb. 11, when he went to pick up the car. The victim, a monthly customer of the garage, had left his keys in the gas-guzzling vehicle. The man also lost his E-Z Pass, a motorcycle seat, a satellite-guided map system, and a dog net.
• A thief swiped a 2003 Honda Civic from a spot on State Street between Third and Flatbush avenues on Feb. 8. The victim told cops that she parked the car, which is owned by her father, at 5 am and returned 12 hours later to find it gone. Also in the car was an Apple laptop, two credit cards and a Social Security card.
Old lady bagged
Pernicious thieves duped a 72-year-old woman into handing over $11,800 on Feb. 9, the latest example of the ol’ switcheroo.
In what has become a Police Blotter staple, a woman approached her unwitting dupe in a 99 cent store on Hoyt Street between Livingston and Fulton streets at around 11 am.
The woman claimed to have found cash and checks that she would share with the victim — provided that the old lady put up some money of her own. The old woman agreed and got into the perp’s car, where two other women and man were waiting.
The fearsome foursome took the victim home, where she grabbed $5,800, then to a bank where she withdrew $6,000 more. She gave it all to the lady larcenist, who then took her to a bank on Atlantic Avenue.
Once the victim was inside the bank, the quartet, with the $11,800, sped off.
Undressed!
A fast-moving thief snatched a woman’s purse that she’d left unattended on a hook in a dressing room of a Fulton Street department store on Feb. 12.
The 23-year-old victim told cops that she was trying on pants at around 5:25 pm when the purse — and, more important, the $1,500 inside it — was swiped from the store, which is between Hanover Place and Bond Street.
Wallet grab
A thief acted quickly to swipe a man’s wallet while the victim was making a purchase at a Fulton Street boutique on Jan. 27.
Cops say that the man placed his wallet on the counter of the store, which is between Lawrence and Bridge streets, at around 4:30 pm. Before he could pick it up again, a thief snatched it and ran off.
The victim cancelled the cards before the thief could make use of his ill-gotten booty.
In da club
An argument inside a Willoughby Street club turned violent early on Feb. 8, ending with the stabbing of two people, cops said.
Police aren’t sure what started the 4 am argument inside the club, which is at the corner of Lawrence Street, but after a bouncer evicted the battlers, things got even uglier.
One man said his brother was stabbed in the ensuing melee, though he was not involved in the earlier altercation. Another man was also stabbed.
— Emilia Brock
