Short-lived crime spree
An 18-year-old bandit was arrested Friday after he and a friend held up two men in the space of 15 minutes, police alleged.
Police alleged that Dady Michel and his associate jumped a man on Utica Avenue and Avenue K at 8:45 p.m. on January 22, putting a knife to his neck and robbing him of his cell phone, earring and $73.
About a quarter of an hour later, the two accosted a second man at the corner of Flatlands Avenue and East 49th Street, police alleged.
In a repeat performance, the two allegedly put a knife to their victim’s neck and robbed him of $90.
While the alleged thieves ran off, Michel of them didn’t get far.
He was taken into custody a short time later, charged with two counts of robbery in the first degree, grand larceny, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
Neither victim was seriously harmed, officials said.
Michel’s accomplice was still at large as this paper went to press.
Gun running
Cops are looking for a pair of gun-toting thieves responsible for two hold-ups in Marine Park — one of which involved a 16-year-old boy.
The teen told police that he was near the corner of Avenue S and East 37th Street at 11 p.m. January 15 when two black males approached and flashed a gun.
“Put your stuff on the ground,” one of the men demanded as they robbed him of a $1 and his cell phone.
The thieves ran off, leaving the victim unharmed.
But an hour and a half later, the two suspects resurfaced, police said.
This time they jumped a 50-year-old man on East 34th Street between Avenue P and Quentin Road, putting a gun to his head.
The thieves made off with $10, officials said.
Cops are asking anyone with information regarding these two incidents to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 63rd Precinct at (718) 258-4411. All calls will be kept confidential.
Hijacked off street
A 63-year-old man was robbed of $220 after he was kidnapped off of Ralph Avenue.
The senior told police that two thugs approached him between Flatlands and Bergen Avenue at 11:30 a.m. on January 16 and pulled a gun on him.
The suspects then forced the man into their van and drove him around the neighborhood, stealing his cash during the terror trip.
After an hour, the thieves dropped the now penniless victim off in the neighborhood unharmed.
Cops were still looking for the thieves as this paper went to press.
Highway hazard
A 61-year-old man is facing DWI charges following a car accident on the Belt Parkway.
Cops from the 63rd Precinct told prosecutors that they found Peter Gatto behind the wheel of a 2008 Lexus E Class after he allegedly collided with a highway divider at 7:10 p.m. on January 22.
When cops began to question him, they discovered that he allegedly exhibited “signs of intoxication: to wit, red watery eyes and the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath,” according to a complaint filed with the Kings County District Attorney’s office.
Cane attack
An area woman was taken to the hospital last week after a 44-year-old man allegedly attacked her with a cane.
The woman said that she was on Avenue N near East 45th Street at 7:40 p.m. January 18 when she clashed with alleged cane swinger Brian Hull.
Hull allegedly struck the woman in the body repeatedly and bit her hand during the ensuing struggle, officials said.
Cops took Hull into custody the next day, charging him with assault in the third degree, menacing in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon.
It was unclear just why Hull allegedly attacked his victim as this paper went to press.
Eight on one
A 13-year-old girl was accosted by up to eight teenage muggers as she neared the corner of Avenue M and East 52nd Street last week, police said.
The victim told police that she was at the corner at 5:30 p.m. on January 14 when the teens surrounded her and threw her to the ground before running off with her cell phone and some other electronics she had in her possession.
Cops rounded up three of the teens — two 13-year-olds and a 15-year-old — shortly after the mugging, said officials. All three were charged with robbery.
Punched and robbed
Cops have arrested half of a robbery crew involved in a mugging on East 49th Street in Mill Basin.
A 24-year-old woman told police that she was nearing Avenue M at 8:40 p.m. on January 15 when two men allegedly grabbed her from behind.
The suspects whirled her around, punched her in the face and ran off with her purse, officials alleged.
An unidentified 22-year-old was arrested in connection with this crime a short time later. His associate was still at large as this paper went to press.
Knocked down and robbed
A 47-year-old woman was shoved to the ground and robbed of her purse as she walked through Flatlands last week.
Two unidentified males reportedly grabbed the woman on Glenwood Road near East 59th Street at 7:45 a.m. on January 17.
They ran off with the woman’s purse and $20 in cash after bowling her over, officials said.
Cops were still looking for the thieves as this paper went to press.
Back door man
A rear window became an open invitation to a thief who wormed his way into a home on East 59th Street recently.
A 43-year-old woman said that someone entered her home near Avenue J sometime after 2 a.m. on January 12, taking an undisclosed amount of property.
Stripped of delivery
A deliveryman for an area restaurant was robbed of his cash, food and clothes when he was attacked in Mill Basin, police said this week.
Cops were told that the 27-year-old victim was heading down East 51st Street between Avenues L and K at 9:30 p.m. on January 13 when an unidentified male cracked him over the head with a heavy object.
He then forced the victim to hand over some of his clothes, the food and the $4 he had in his pocket, police said.
Purse snatcher search
Three purse snatchings in close proximity to each other have police wondering if the same person is responsible for the thefts — all of which took place a day apart.
Police said that three women, the oldest 43, the youngest 20, were attacked in the East 50s between Glenwood and Farragut Roads beginning on January 4.
In two of the incidents, two thieves were seen, officials said. A single perpetrator was responsible for the third.
Officials said that the 43-year-old woman was walking down Glenwood Road near East 59th Street at 7 p.m. January 4 when two black males grabbed her and threw her to the ground.
Once she dropped her purse, the thieves scooped it up and ran off, officials said.
The next night, a 20-year-old woman was jumped on Farragut Road near East 57th Street. The woman said that the thief crept up behind her at about 11 p.m., put her in a choke hold and demanded her property.
When the woman gave up her bag, the thief ran off.
The third theft took place roughly 24 hours later, said police. At 10:20 p.m., a 37-year-old woman was grabbed and thrown to the ground by two thieves. The thieves ran off with her purse as well — this one containing credit cards and $135, officials said.
Cops have yet to connect the three thefts to a single crew.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
Calls can be made to the 63rd Precinct at (718) 258-4411. All calls will be kept confidential.
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.
