McDonald’s menace
A gun-toting goon held up a McDonald’s on July 5 during a daring raid that erupted in front of several witnesses.
Police said the thief, who was sporting a bright orange hat and matching jersey, entered the eatery near the corner of Seaview Avenue and Rockaway Parkway at 10 pm and waited on line as if he was a customer.
When he reached the register, he pulled a black revolver and demanded money from the cashier. Cops say he ran off with $600 from two registers, but none of the stunned witnesses were injured.
Craigslist crooks
Buying a car advertised on Craigslist just became more dangerous.
Cops from the 69th Precinct said a woman was held up at gunpoint on July 1 as she hemmed and hawed over buying the vehicle she found on the popular website.
Officials said the woman agreed to meet the would-be seller and two other men on Remsen Avenue between Church Lane and Avenue J at 9 pm. The victim told police that she was in the process of buying the car when one of the suspects pulled a gun and demanded she hand over her money.
The thieves ran off with $14,500, but at least one of them didn’t get far.
Cops said that a 30-year-old suspect was taken into custody after a brief investigation, charged with robbery in the first degree, grand larceny, menacing and criminal possession of stolen property.
Vacancy villain
A thief was arrested on July 1 when he was caught trying to steal plumbing fixtures from an East 99th Street home that’s been on the market.
Officials said the suspect was seen exiting the home, which is between avenues M and N, at 11:13 pm through a rear basement door armed with work gloves, a knife, a screwdriver and a metal rod.
The 44-year-old thief had removed several bathroom and plumbing fixtures from the unoccupied home that was in the process of being sold. A saw and a bolt cutter were also found on the premises.
The thief was charged with burglary and criminal trespass.
Sinister son
Cops were called to a Flatlands Avenue home on July 2 after a 20-year-old allegedly punched his mother in the head.
The suspect, who lived with his mother in the home, which is between East 106th and East 107th streets, was taken into custody without incident following the 12:23 pm attack and charged with assault and menacing.
Restaurant raid
A thief took $1,000 from a Flatlands eatery on July 1 after pretending he had a handgun secreted under his shirt.
Police said the thief entered the restaurant on Flatlands Avenue, which is between East 57th and East 58th streets, just after 9 pm and acted as if he had a weapon. He then scooped some money from the register and fled, eatery employees told police.
Parking lot mug
A thief swiped a woman’s handbag during a confrontation inside a Utica Avenue parking lot on July 2.
The victim said she parked her car between avenues H and I at 7:30 pm and had just exited her vehicle when the suspect attacked, running off with her property.
Attacked with iron
Cops were called to a Flatlands home on June 27 after a 45-year-old man attacked his wife with an iron.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident at 5:45 pm after he was found still inside the couple’s home, which is between Avenues J and K.
Keep on truckin’
A thief with a lot to move swiped an entire trailer from a Flatlands street on June 28, police said.
The owner of the trailer said he left the back part of his rig at the corner of Flatlands Avenue and East 59th Street at 8 am.
He returned a few hours later, but the trailer had already been carted off.
Card swipe
Someone had a shopping spree at Kings Plaza mall, running up all the credit cards found in a wallet accidentally left in a bathroom on June 28.
The victim told police she was inside the mall, which is on Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U, at 4 pm when she realized her wallet was missing.
Protect your stuff
Cops from the 63rd Precinct will be holding a special crime prevention event on Monday, July 12, where residents can get tips on personal and home protection as well as get their bikes, cars, cell phones and laptop computers registered with the NYPD.
The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Roy H. Mann Junior High School, 1420 East 68th Street at Avenue N.
For more information one can contact the 63rd Precinct community affairs office at (718) 258-4411.
Stabbed over chain
A man stabbed another man in the neck during a June 24 chain snatch, police said.
The 24-year-old victim said that the suspect approached him on Ralph Avenue, between Foster Avenue and East 78th Street, at 11 pm and asked him about the chain.
The hooligan then stabbed his victim in the neck and ran off, only to be arrested by responding officers.
Robbed of purse
A 28-year-old thug punched a woman in the face and made off with her purse during a heavy-handed confrontation on June 25.
The victim said she was at the corner of Avenue L and East 56th Street at 3 am when the suspect attacked, only to be arrested a short time later.
Stabbed in the shoulder
A 32-year-old was hospitalized following a stabbing on June 24.
The victim said he was nearing the corner of Kings Highway and Flatbush Avenue at 3 am when the stranger attacked, leaving him with a shoulder wound that needed medical attention.
Wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can help them arrest neighborhood vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s ongoing push to rid New York of graffiti, the leading quality of life complaint brought to police.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.