Thieves nabbed in elevator robbery

Followed and robbed

Two thieves held up a man on Oct. 3 after following him into his Ocean Avenue apartment building.

The victim had just entered the apartment building, which is between Glenwood Road and Avenue H — about a block away from Brooklyn College — at 10:30 pm when the thieves trailed him into the building’s elevator.

Once the elevator doors closed, the thugs attacked, hitting him in the face, head and abdomen.

The thieves got off on the next floor with the victim’s cash, cell phone and car keys. Once outside, they used the keys to steal the man’s 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis, but they didn’t get far.

Cops caught up with the duo a short time later, charging them with robbery, grand larceny and assault.

Garmin goons

Thieves can’t get enough of Garmin navigation devices. Here’s the rundown:

• A thief broke into a 2010 Mazda parked near the corner of Avenue R and E. 15th Street, and took the $100 navigation device. The owner told cops he parked the car near the corner at 4 pm on Sept. 29, but when he returned the next afternoon, his passenger side window was broken and the navigation system was missing.

• On the same night, thieves broke into a second car — this one parked on E. 14th Street between Avenues R and S — and took the Garmin navigation system. Police were told someone smashed the passenger side window and ran off with the $150 device.

Apartment break-in

A thief broke into a Nostrand Avenue apartment on Sept. 25, taking a 40-inch television.

The victimized tenant told police he left his home, which is between Avenues S and T, at 9 pm.

He returned one hour later to find a window, which he had locked, wide open and the television missing.

Beaten on E. 18

A 13-year-old girl attacked a peer on E. 18th Street on Oct. 1, leaving the teen with injuries to her arms and legs.

The victim was nearing Kings Highway at 11:40 pm when she was jumped, police were told.

Graffiti goon

A graffiti artist attacked a Kings Highway building on Oct. 2, scrawling his tag on the side of the structure.

Residents of the building said someone approached the building, which is between E. 13th and E. 14th streets, just before 2 am, left his mark and sped off on a bicycle.

Food fiend

More than $300 was removed from a Kings Highway meat market during a Sept. 30 burglary.

Workers at Tatyana Foods, which is between E. 18th and E. 19th streets, said someone forced open the rear door of the store sometime after 10:45 pm.

Flatbush Ave. follies

A thief attacked a worker at a Flatbush Avenue store on Sept. 28 during a botched raid, cops were told.

Police said the hooligan entered the store, which is located between Avenues J and K, at about 5:45 pm and attacked a worker, leaving him with injuries to his face and head.

The thief ran off empty handed after a brief struggle, police said.

Bagged on N

Two thugs jumped a man on Avenue N on Oct. 1, taking the bag the man dropped after being struck in the head.

The victim was nearing E. 65th Street just before 12:30 am when the suspects approached him from behind and hit him with a heavy object.

The victim fell to the ground, dropping his bag as he did so, police were told. The thieves grabbed the bag and ran off with it.

Cash scam

Two flimflam artists swindled $10,000 from a 78-year-old woman on Sept. 29 during a classic “found money” scam.

The senior was walking on Avenue U near E. 65th Street at 9:40 am when the charlatans approached, wanting to know if she had dropped a bag they found on the sidewalk.

The thieves claimed there was money in the bag, which they were willing to share, as long as the senior forked over some money as an act “of good faith.”

The senior fell for the ploy, giving the thieves the $10,000, but receiving nothing in return.

Stick assault

A punk attacked a 13-year-old boy with a stick on Sept. 28 during a violent exchange in a Flatbush Avenue eatery.

The victim was dining inside the restaurant, which is between Kings Highway and Flatlands Avenue, at 3:50 pm when he got into an argument with the unidentified thug.

Things quickly turned violent when the thug grabbed a stick and started swinging, leaving his victim with a small injury.

Lock breaker

A thief snapped the lock to an Avenue J home on Sept. 28, taking an assortment of pricey items.

The victim left her home, which is between E. 38th and E. 39th streets, at 7:35 am. When she returned several hours later, she realized that someone had broken the lock and ransacked the place.

Station break

Thieves snuck into a Flatbush Avenue gas station on Sept. 30, taking $250 from the office.

Workers said the thief entered the station, which is between Avenue I and E. 34th Street, sometime after 6 pm, breaking the cylinder to the front door as he did so.

Cell grab

A thug grabbed a cell phone from a 13-year-old boy on Sept. 27 during a blitzkrieg on Avenue N.

The victim was walking towards E. 70th Street at 8 pm when the thief ran by, snatching the phone from his hand.

Rail robbery

Two thugs robbed a 15-year-old as he rode a Coney Island-bound Q train through Midwood.

The victim told police he got on the train at the Avenue J station at 7:50 am. Ten minutes later two 19-year-old males jumped him as the train approached the Kings Highway station.

The thieves punched him and then went into his pockets, taking $3, cops were told.

Audi attack

A thief broke into a 2003 Audi parked on Avenue S on Sept. 23, taking the navigation system he found inside.

The car’s owner said he parked his vehicle between E. 14th and E. 15th streets at 7 pm. Over the next few hours someone broke the driver’s window and rifled through the cabin, taking the navigation system and a watch.

Pharmacy raid

Thieves broke into the Expedite Care pharmacy on Nostrand Avenue on Sept. 14, taking $4,000.

Workers at the pharmacy, which is between Avenues H and I, said that someone ripped out an iron gate protecting a back window to get inside.

Laptop swipe

A thief made off with a 40-year-old man’s laptop computer as he typed away in an Avenue N park.

The victim told police he was inside the park, which is near Utica Avenue, at 1:20 pm when the thief rolled by on a bicycle and snagged the pricey item.

Home swindle

He should have known — this was too good to be true.

A man told police that he was conned into paying $8,000 for an Avenue I home.

The 57-year-old victim said the con man approached him back in November, 2009, about the home, which is between Nostrand Avenue and E. 31st Street.

The victim probably thought that he was getting the house for a steal, but soon realized that this would-be realtor was the true thief, since it turned out he never had a deed to the house.

Dance dunce

Cops are looking for a “dancing thief” — a hooligan who was spotted practicing his routine just before he mugged a woman inside a building elevator on W. 23rd Street.

Police said the 2 am robbery inside the building, which is near Surf Avenue, wasn’t caught on the building’s surveillance camera, but the thief’s dance was.

The victim was already inside the elevator when the thief got on and attacked her, taking a cell phone.

Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this theft to come forward.

Calls can be made to the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.

Public outcry

Two teens were arrested on Oct. 4 after causing a stir at P.S. 370 on W. First Street.

Cops were told that two 16-year-olds were caught riling up a crowd of youths inside the school, which is between W. Brighton Avenue and Neptune Avenue, at 2:40 pm.

When a school safety officer tried to disperse the crowd, the rabble-rouser’s friend lunged at the guard, hitting him in the face.

Both were taken into custody on assault and disorderly conduct charges.

Gum goon

A savvy shoplifter learned on Oct. 3 that stealing chewing gum can be, well, sticky.

Police said the 41-year-old was stopped by a guard as he was coming out of the Cropsey Avenue PathMark, which is between Bay 53rd and Bay 54th streets, with 14 packs of chewing gum.

As the peace officer tried to take the thief into custody, the suspect bit the officer in the arm and leg, but failed to escape — he was arrested at 7:35 pm.

Beer brawl

A shopper at an 86th Street mini-mart wigged out on Sept. 29 when he was told the price of beer had gone up.

Workers at the Marlboro Mini Mart, which is between W. Seventh and Eighth streets, said the man entered the store at 7:45 pm to purchase a beer.

But when he was told the price, he flipped out, and began to yell and curse at the employees.

He then lunged at a plastic partition, breaking it, cops were told.

Honda hooligan

A thief broke into a 2009 Honda parked on Shore Parkway on Oct. 2, taking a cell phone, as well as the vehicle’s headrests and license plate.

Cops were told the car was parked near Knapp Street at midnight when someone smashed the passenger side window and rifled through the cabin.

Business blues

A crafty charlatan managed to swindle $50,000 from a hapless Sheepshead Bay resident recently after selling him a business he didn’t own.

The victim came to police on Sept. 30, claiming that he bought the business from the con artist back in April, but was left with nothing except the bogus documents used in the scam.

The “deal” was made during a meeting on E. Third Street, police were told.

Grocery goons

Two thieves tore up an 86th Street grocery on Oct. 4 after they were caught shoplifting.

Workers at Eden’s USA Grocery said the thieves entered the store at 12:20 pm and were seen trying to pocket merchandise.

When the employee confronted the duo, they attacked him with a bottle. They then threw glass bottles around the store before running off, police said.

‘Loca’ motive

A gun-toting thief attacked a 27-year-old woman on Bay 23rd Street during an furious Oct. 3 exchange where he screamed “This is to make sure you don’t mess around with La Raza Loca!”

The woman was between 86th Street and Benson Avenue at 4:20 am when the thief raced toward her with a gun in his hand.

He punched the woman in the face, yelled his statement and ran off with her purse, police were told.

Cops were not clear what the statement had to do with the robbery.

Luncheonette loot

Thieves broke into a 15th Avenue luncheonette on Oct. 2, taking $400 and an assortment of cigarettes.

When workers at Bao Lao’s Luncheonette showed up for work after closing up the night before at 10 pm, they found the store ransacked and the money and cigarettes gone.

Someone had also poured bleach over the counter and stand-alone ATM machine in an attempt to contaminate any DNA evidence, police were told.

Benz jack

Two thugs attacked and robbed a 28-year-old of his 2010 Mercedes Benz on Sept. 25 during a furious exchange on Shore Parkway.

The victim had just closed the trunk of his car, which was parked on E. 19th Street, at 12:05 pm when the two suspects attacked, punching him repeatedly.

The thieves swiped the victim’s keys and sped off in his luxury car, officials said. They were still being sought by late Tuesday.

Gravesend goon

A thief pulled a knife on an 18-year-old on Sept. 18, robbing him of his iPod, chain and ring.

The victim told police he was nearing the corner of Avenue P and W. Eighth Street at 11:30 pm when the suspect ran up with a knife in his hand.

“Sit down right here and give me everything,” the thief ordered.

The victim did what he was told and the thief ran off with the loot, cops were told.