Starbucked!
It wasn’t a good week for everyone’s favorite coffee chain, as at least two incidents popped off at the Starbucks on Court Street at Joralemon Street.
• A thief swiped a backpack from a woman who was beginning to doze off at the café on Sept. 30.
The victim — who apparently had not consumed enough caffeine — said she started to fall asleep at about 4 pm. Minutes later, she realized her bag, containing an Apple laptop computer, an iPod, and a cellphone, was missing.
•A thug with a flair for the dramatic stormed the same Starbucks as it was closing and demanded money from the cashier and a pair of customers on Oct. 3.
Witnesses said the crook entered the café through a side door at around 11 pm, threw a black bag on the floor and said, “Give me all your money now, then give me your IDs and phones.” The jerk also simulated a gun in his pocket. The cashier on duty complied, and the chain-café-robber escaped with $2,483 and a Blackberry.
Planet pilfer
After a brief break from the police blotter, the notorious Planet Fitness on Duffield Street made an ignominious return on Sept. 27.
This time, two ladies had finished their workouts at the gym between Fulton and Willoughy streets at around 10 pm when they returned to their locker to find that $290, two cellphones, and an assortment of IDs and credit cards were missing. The lock on their locker was still in place.
The sketchy gym has been in the crime news four times since March.
Bling bandit
A thief struck paydirt at a Remsen Street apartment, stealing $22,500 in assorted bling on Oct. 2.
The victim said she returned to her home between Montague Terrace and Hicks Street at around 6 pm to find an assortment of precious stones, necklaces, earrings, pendants and bracelets missing from a bedroom drawer.
But cops have their work cut out for them; the last time the 44-year-old woman saw her bling was July 12.
Islamaphobe
An unfaithful thief robbed the Islam Fashion boutique on Atlantic Avenue on Oct. 2.
The cashier at the store between Third and Fourth avenues said she had placed her purse behind the counter at around 4 pm. When she returned to it 30 minutes later, she discovered that her Filipino passport, a ring, a necklace and $900 were gone.
Train trouble
At least three incidents went down on subways within the confines of the 84th Precinct last week:
•A thief swiped an iPhone from a straphanger riding a Coney Island-bound F train on Sept. 28. The victim told cops that the train was at York Street at around 12:30 pm when the thief grabbed the phone and fled.
• Two troublemakers stole a backpack from a man sleeping on a Coney Island-bound N train on Sept. 29, but were busted by cops. A witness roused the dozing victim as the train was pulling into the DeKalb Avenue station and told him that the two thugs had rummaged through his bag that was between his legs at around 2:10 am. Cops arrested one man, but the other fled. Officer Brian Downey got the collar.
• A quick-handed thief snatched a woman’s iPhone as a Coney Island-bound R train pulled into DeKalb Avenue on Oct. 2. The victim told cops that the train had pulled into the station at around 9 pm when the thief grabbed the phone and ran topside.
B&Es
At least four homes were broken into last week:
• A thief stole an assortment of electronics and cash from a Montague Street house on Sept. 28. The victim said she returned to her home between Montague Terrace and Hicks Street at around 8:50 pm to find a laptop, two digital cameras, Xbox 360 game system, a MacBook Pro, and $1,500 all missing.
• A thief struck at the same Montague Street building again on Oct. 3.
This time, a couple was tending to their kids at around noon when they noticed that the front door was wide open. That’s when they realized two handbags and a wallet, containing an assortment of credit cards, IDs, a cellphone and $60 were missing.
• A thief was caught redhanded rummaging around a Henry Street apartment on Oct. 2, but still managed to escape. The startled resident told cops he returned to his home between Pierrepont Street and Clark Street at around 7:30 pm and left his front door unlocked. After about 10 minutes, he came upon a stranger snooping around in his living room. The victim gave chase, but lost his cellphone, two credit cards and $125.
• A thief stole an iPod and Macbook from a Clark Street apartment on Oct. 3. The victim told cops she had left the door unlocked at her apartment between Willow Street and Columbia Heights at around 2 pm when the jerk must have struck.
Gershed
A thief stole a bicycle from Washington Street sometime between Sept. 26 and Sept. 30. The owner of the $1,500 road bike told cops he had left it chained up between Water and Front streets at around noon on the 26th. Four days later, it was gershed — from the same building where our editor’s bikes were also stolen.
— Stephen Brown
