iPhone swipe
A thief ran off with a straphanger’s iPhone during a quick May 12 confrontation on a Q train entering the Kings Highway station.
The victim told police that the thief, who got on the train at the Newkirk Avenue station, grabbed his phone and disembarked just as the train stopped at E. 16th Street at 12:29 am.
The 22-year-old chased the iPhone plucker down the stairs and out of the station, only to lose him at E. 18th Street.
Picky punks
Four teens were arrested on May 16 after they held up two pre-teens on Avenue U — but then ran away empty-handed.
The two children, ages 10 and 11, were approaching W. Sixth Street at 6:05 pm when the thieves approached.
“What you got?” one of the thieves asked before trying to rifle through his victim’s pockets.
Wallet snag
A 18-year-old woman robbed a man of his wallet on the B44 bus rolling past the corner of Avenue U and Nostrand Avenue on May 9 — all because he wouldn’t give her a dollar.
The victim was on the bus at 6 pm when the thief made her request, was turned down, and ripped the wallet out of the man’s hands.
$600 swipe
A thief made off with $600 after robbing a 57-year-old woman walking to the Avenue U train station on May 15.
The victim was nearing E. 16th Street at 1:50 pm when the thief ran by, snagging the wallet out of her hand.
Drug heist
A gunman barreled into a Nostrand Avenue pharmacy on May 13, taking an assortment of powerful painkillers.
Workers at Kings Bay Chemists, which is near Avenue W, said the thief entered just before 11:30 am and flashed a firearm.
“Give me Percocet and Vicodin,” the thief demanded.
The suspect didn’t get the drugs he wanted, but got the next best thing — an assortment of Oxycodone.
The thief was last seen fleeing the area in a gray-colored SUV.
Ordered and robbed
A thug robbed a 20-year-old victim on May 12 during a crazy confrontation on Bragg Street.
The victim was walking between Avenue W and Avenue X at 3 am when the thief shouted out to him.
“Come over here or I’m going to shoot you,” the man screamed.
After the victim did what he was told, the thief took him to the lobby of a nearby apartment building and robbed him of his property.
Pauper heist
A thief robbed a 22-year-old of $34 on Avenue W on May 15 — because he was poor.
The victim was entering an apartment building inside the Sheepshead Nostrand Houses, which is near Nostrand Avenue, at 12:45 pm when the thief walked up to him.
“I’m sorry to be robbing you, but I need the money,” the thief said before swiping his victim’s cash.
Vendor vixen
A thief broke into a food vending truck parked on Cropsey Avenue in Coney Island on May 11.
The owner of the truck said someone forced open the door sometime after 11:50 pm and made off with the cash register.
Cycle swipe
A thief took a bicycle from Ray’s Sheepshead Cycles on Coney Island Avenue on May 8 by hiding the hot wheels in plain sight — in an alley behind the store.
Workers at the cycle shop, which is between Avenues X and Y, said the thief entered the store at 6 pm and began asking a bunch of questions.
But when an employee went to help another customer, the thief quietly moved a $4,400 bike to the alley. He then casually walked out of the store, retrieved the bike, and rolled off with it.
Brita bilk
A thief was arrested on May 16 after he tried to sneak a number of Brita Water Filters out of an 18th Avenue store.
Workers at the CVS near 65th Street said the thief was leaving with the filters at 5 pm when the employee tried to grab him.
The thief fought the employee off, only to be arrested for robbery a short time later.
Car thief crackdown
A thief who swiped a car in Sheepshead Bay on May 16 was arrested in Flatlands when the hot wheels were found on E. 49th Street.
Police said the car was taken before 6:30 am on May 15 from its parking space on E. 23rd Street.
Almost 24 hours later, the thief was caught inside the car near Avenue O. The hood was still warm, leading police to believe that the car had been driven for some time.
Cab wig out
A would-be thief was arrested on May 14 when he tried to rob a cab driver — while his victim was behind the wheel and the cab was in motion.
The cabbie told police that the thief got into the car at the corner of Schnectady Avenue and Avenue H at 5:20 am and asked the cabbie to take him to Avenue J and E. 43rd Street.
While en route, the thief smacked the driver’s head, climbed into the front seat, and then forced open a locked glove box.
Cops grabbed the thief before he made off with any money.
House brawl
A 51-year-old woman was arrested on May 10 after she pulled a knife on her estranged lover, claiming that the E. 48th Street home they shared was now hers.
Cops were called to the home, which is near Avenue N, at 11:23 pm after the woman pointed a knife at her victim as he tried to enter the home. “Don’t come here,” she told her ex. “This is my house.”
Cops, apparently, disagreed with the new living situation and charged the woman with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
Utica raid
A pair of thieves barreled into a Utica Avenue store on May 4, taking $930.
The crooks, who were sporting black masks and latex gloves, flashed firearms and ordered everyone to the ground once they stepped inside at 10:45 pm. The suspects fled after forcing a manager to empty out a store register and a safe.
Tug of bag
Two thugs tried to steal a woman’s handbag during a May 2 confrontation on Kings Highway, but ended up running off empty-handed.
The woman was nearing Flatbush Avenue at 11 pm when the suspects blocked her path and grabbed her handbag.
But the woman managed to fight the suspects off and run away, leaving the muggers in the dust.
Tag team
Two punks worked together to rob a 46-year-old man on Avenue I on May 7.
The victim was approaching E. 39th Street at 12:30 pm when the suspects grabbed him.
One of the thugs put the victim in a choke hold while the other flashed a knife and rifled through the man’s pockets, police were told.
Bell boob
A thief entering an E. 55th Street home checked to see if anyone was home by ringing the doorbell — but still found herself coming face-to-face with the homeowner during the May 5 break-in.
The 29-year-old suspect — a woman — forced the front door at about 2:37 pm, only to turn around and run off once she realized someone was inside.
