By Thomas TracyFlaming buses
Police and investigators from the FDNY’s fire marshal’s office are trying to find the person who set fire to three school buses on Rodney Street.
Cops said that the would-be arsonist unscrewed the gas caps of the three vehicles and jammed in gasoline soaked rags as they sat near Marcy Avenue at 4 a.m. on January 23.
He then lit the rags on fire, but if he was expecting the buses to explode, he was left disappointed.
Police said that the fires were put out before any serious damage could be done to the buses.
The arsonist, however, remains at large.
Bags, jewelry taken
A gun-toting thief was responsible for a double-whammy hold-up, robbing two women of their bags and jewelry as they walked down Leonard Street.
The victims told police that they were between Devoe and Ainslie streets at 12:15 a.m. on January 24 when the suspect ran up to them.
The thug pulled a gun, aimed it at one of his victims and demanded that both hand over their property.
No injuries were reported.
Police said that the gunman was still at large as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 90th Precinct at (718) 963-5311. All calls will be kept confidential.
Not seeing it coming
Two men beat and robbed a third male of his wallet after — in a peculiar move — they covered his eyes, police alleged.
Police alleged that 20-year-old Ruben Garcia and 17-year-old Dequone Bozier ran up to their victim as he walked down Stagg Street in East Williamsburg at 11:40 p.m. on January 23.
Garcia reportedly covered the man’s eyes and beat him until the man handed over his wallet. Bozier acted as a lookout, officials said.
Cops caught up with both males a short time later, charging them with robbery.
Cop stabber sentenced
The man who stabbed a police officer over a summons at the Broadway Junction two years ago will be spending the next two decades in prison, Kings County District Attorney Charles Hynes said this week.
Hugo Hernandez, 25, was sentenced to 20 years for attacking Detective Angel Cruz.
Cruz was patrolling the Broadway Junction train station alone on March 13, 2007, when he spotted Hernandez and another man smoking cigarettes on a subway platform.
When he asked for some ID, Hernandez allegedly pulled a large knife, which he jammed into the cop’s skull.
Despite his injury, Cruz drew his weapon and opened fire, striking the fleeing Hernandez in the ankle. Responding officers arrested him a short time later.
Cruz needed emergency brain surgery and eight months of therapy to make a complete recovery, officials from the Kings County District Attorney’s office said.
Hernandez was sentenced after pleading guilty to aggravated assault on a police officer earlier this month.
Arson clean-up
Cops are still pinning their hopes on a man washing his clothes at a late-night laundry who may have spotted the arsonists who lit up a Harrison Place apartment building back on December 29, killing a 17-year-old girl in the process.
Police said that five people were also injured in the 4:30 a.m. blaze between Porter and Knickerbocker avenues that killed Grover Cleaveland High School student Sofia Olivo.
The fire, it’s believed, was started when two men poured gas in the vestibule of the three story building. A gas can was reportedly found a short distance away.
Horrified witnesses said that Olivo had a chance to follow her relatives out an open window, but ended up getting trapped by the flames. At least one of her relatives, a cousin, was hospitalized for injuries she suffered trying to pull Olivo out.
Cops said that they have video footage of two men dousing the vestibule with gasoline. The faces of the two men are obscured, however.
Yet, there is a possible witness, police said. A man at a nearby laundromat may have seen the suspects as they entered the building at that late hour.
No motives behind the arson were forthcoming as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
Calls can be made to either the 90th Precinct at (718) 963-5311 or the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
