By Thomas TracyPoor image
A thief went through a lot to get into an Avenue U store on July 1, but only got $5 in quarters for his trouble.
Workers at Vital Image, which is between West 6th and West 7th streets, told police that someone forced in the rear door to their business — damaging the door in the process — sometime after 7:20 pm.
Yet all the thief got for his reward was the quarters, which were found in an unlocked register.
Vision villains
Two thieves swiped an assortment of pricey sunglasses the old fashioned way on July 2 — with a hammer.
Employees at the Kings Highway Vision Center, which is on Kings Highway between East 13th and East 14th streets, said that two men came into the store at 5:15 pm and took a hammer to a glass display case.
They then scooped up $5,000 in shades as stunned witnesses tried to wrap their minds around what just happened, police said.
Gunning for bikes
A pair of thugs pulled a gun on a bicyclist in Mill Basin on June 28, taking both the teen’s wheels and jewelry.
The 14-year-old victim told police he was pedaling past the corner of Avenue T and East 65th Street at 6:15 pm when two suspects stopped him and demanded his property. When he wouldn’t relent, one of the thieves pulled a gun and punched him in the face, forcing the issue.
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.
Camera crook sought
Over $5,000 in pricey camera equipment was removed from a car parked in Homecrest on June 29, officials said.
The 43-year-old owner of the car said that she parked her vehicle near the corner of Avenue S and East 18th Street at 5 pm as she visited her mother-in-law.
When she returned a few hours later, she realized the car had been forced open and her equipment — which included a tri-pod and a zoom lens — was taken.
Robbed of phone
A heavy-handed thug attacked a 53-year-old woman during a cell phone robbery on June 29.
The victim told police she was walking down East 34th Street between Flatbush Avenue and Avenue J at 4:15 pm when the suspect punched her and ran off with her cell phone.
The thief was arrested following a brief investigation, police said.
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.
Bike steal
A thief crept into a garage on East 33rd Street on June 28, taking a pair of mountain bikes.
The owner of the home, which is between Avenues N and P, said that the theft took place sometime after 9 pm.
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, at which 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.
Hit with brick
A man was struck with a brick during a fierce exchange with three strangers on June 22.
The 45-year-old victim told police he was on his way home from work just before 2 am when the trio confronted him at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Avenue S, when one of the men charged at him with a brick, leaving him with a deep cut to the left side.
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.
Help 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.
