Crime Report: Thefts on the Street, on Public Transit and From Homes

Two men and a woman were arrested on May 17 for allegedly stabbing a 47-year-old man and taking an envelope containing $3,899 in cash.

The victim was walking on Lafayette Avenue near Saint James Place on May 17 at nearly 3 p.m. when the three thieves approached him. Tamika Stephens, 32, allegedly told him, “Now we got you.” Naishaune Spencer, 35, grabbed him from behind and placed a sharp object against his chest, causing a small cut, police said. Clinton Allen, 49, then reached into the man’s right front pants pocket and removed the envelope, according to police.

Both Stephens and Spencer were charged with robbery in the second and third degrees, grand larceny in the fourth degree, assault in the third degree, petit larceny, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office. Allen was charged with robbery in the first, second and third degrees, grand larceny in the fourth degree, assault in the third degree, menacing in the second degree, petit larceny, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the DA.

Including the crime above, 19 felonies and eight arrests were reported in the 88th Precinct between May 15 and 22, compared to 26 felonies and four arrests the previous week. Home burglaries were most common last week — with four incidents — followed by three thefts on the subway or in a subway station, three thefts from cars and two robberies on the street.

Street Robberies

-Jeffrey Oraiku, 21, was arrested after he allegedly threatened a 22-year-old man with a knife and demanded his belongings. The man was walking on Lafayette Avenue at Carlton Avenue on May 12 at 11:35 p.m., when Oraiku approached and threatened him, snatching his iPhone 5, Louis Vuitton wallet, Detectives Endowment Association card and driver’s license. Oraiku fled, but the man told police he does not know in what direction.

Oraiku was charged with robbery in the first and third degrees, grand larceny in the fourth degree, menacing in the second degree, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

-Someone choked a woman while she was jogging along Monument Walk on the grounds of the Ingersoll Houses on May 15 at about 10 p.m., causing her to black out. Once the woman regained consciousness, she realized that her wallet, containing $200 in cash, a Virginia driver’s license, and a Visa credit card and debit card, was gone. Police searched the area, but could not find the items. The woman was taken to the Brooklyn Hospital Center for treatment, police said.

Public Transit Thefts

-Someone punched a 25-year-old man in the face, knocked him to the ground and snatched his wallet in the Nevins Street subway station on May 15 at 9:50 p.m., police said. The thief fled with the wallet, which contained a Bank of America Visa debit card, $70 in cash, a college identification card and an India driver’s license. Police searched the area, but could not find the wallet or the thief.

-A 13-year-old boy told police that his his iPod touch was stolen by a gang of three people who said they were going to buy it from him but then took it and fled after one of them brandished a knife and threatened to stab him.

The boy managed to grab one of the fleeing thieves and hold him for police, but the two others escaped.

The boy first dealt with the thieves on Facebook, where he arranged to meet them at the Kingston-Throop Avenue C train station on May 18 at 4 p.m. At the station, he voluntarily handed over his iPod Touch. One of the thieves then told him, “Let’s go to my friend’s house and get your money.” The boy then followed them into the station, and onto a northbound C train. On the train, he told them, “Give me back my iPod touch.”

When the train stopped at the Clinton-Washington Avenue station, the thieves began to run off the train. The boy managed to grab one of them, Alexis Brandon,16, before he could get away. Brandon was arrested, but the King’s County District Attorney’s office does not have information available on his charges. The two other thieves escaped after one of them displayed a knife and told the boy, “Don’t follow us or we’re going to stab you.” The boy does not know in what direction they fled.

-A thief snatched an iPhone from a 30-year-old man who was riding a southbound G train. The man was sitting near the door of the train on May 15 at 10:30 a.m. When the train approached the Lafayette Avenue station, a thief took the phone and ran off the train. The phone was offline and could not be tracked, police said.

Grocery Store Theft

Curtis Morton, 42, was arrested after he allegedly stole a bottle of Naked Fruit Juice from the refrigerator at Mr. Coco on Myrtle Avenue between Vanderbilt and Clinton Avenues. An employee was working behind the counter on May 13 at 9:45 a.m. when a co-worker told her that Morton snatched the juice. When the co-worker attempted to stop Morton from leaving the store by blocking the front door, Morton pushed her, injuring her chest.

Morton was charged with robbery in the second and third degrees, assault in the third degree, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, attempted assault in the third degree, menacing in the third degree and  harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

Assaults

-A 21-year-old man was arrested after allegedly pulling his 18-month-old daughter out of a stroller, knocking her head on the sidewalk and punching the baby’s mother in the face and stomach.

The attack happened at Fulton Street between Carlton Avenue and Adelphi Street on on May 14 at about 2:30 p.m.

Terrell Davis was arrested the next day at 11:45 a.m. after a tussle in which he allegedly flailed his arms and elbowed a cop in the stomach, police said.

He was charged with assault in the third degree, reckless endangerment in the second degree, endangering the welfare of a child, attempted assault in the third degree, menacing in the third degree, harassment in the second degree, assault in the third degree, resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

-On May 16, a motorist parked on Saint James Place at DeKalb Avenue backed up and struck a 23-year-old woman in the legs, then drove off, leaving the injured victim, police said.

The incident happened at about 11:45 a.m. after the victim approached the driver’s parked car to speak to her. Police said the driver and the victim were acquainted. Police searched the area, but could not find the driver.

Home Burglaries

-Someone stole an LG TV and an ASUS laptop from a South Oxford Street apartment between DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues on May 13 between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., police said. The 73-year-old victim told police the basement door deadbolt latch door was damaged. Officers searched the building, but could not find the TV and the laptop. A neighbor told police that she did not see anything suspicious.

-A 64-year-old man who lives in the Ingersoll Houses reported that someone took $3,200 from a cabinet in his apartment, police said. When he checked the cabinet at 8 a.m. on May 11, the money was gone. He said he had friends over the night before he noticed the cash’s disappearance.

-A group of suspects, caught on camera, allegedly stole two scaffolding motors from an apartment on Clinton Avenue between Willoughby and Myrtle Avenues on May 11 around 6 p.m. They fled in a white SUV. Police searched the area, but could not find the suspects. The two motors were worth about $20,000, the owner told police.

-On May 11, someone stole an iPad, headphones, a Social Security card, a Lowe’s credit card and an MCU credit card — totaling $451 — from a jacket in an apartment hallway on Fulton Street between Downing Street and Grand Avenue.  The victim, a 32-year-old man, told police that he placed his jacket in the hallway at around 11 p.m. When he checked his bank account on May 13, he noticed two charges on his cards for $1 each, made at Exxon Mobil.

Thefts from Cars

-Someone stole a wallet, containing an American Express card, Bank of America MasterCard, Chase Manhattan ATM card and $375 in cash from a 43-year-old man’s car, police said. When he parked his car on May 11 at 6 p.m. on Carlton Avenue between Willoughby and DeKalb Avenues, he left the doors unlocked, and when he returned 10 minutes later, the wallet was gone. He told police that he cancelled all his credit cards.

-Someone broke into a 23-year-old woman’s car, taking two Canon cameras and three lenses. The woman told police that she parked her car on Classon Avenue at Emerson Place on May 14 at 11 p.m., and when she returned the next day at about 2 p.m., the items were gone. Police said the car was ransacked and there were visible scratches on the driver’s side door.

-A woman told police that someone stole her car from its parking space on Clermont Avenue between Park and Myrtle Avenues. On April 15 at 9 a.m., she realized the car was no longer where she had parked it, police said. She did not report the missing car to the police right away, she said, because she thought it had been towed. She realized it was stolen after she was notified of overdue parking tickets that were issued after she last saw the car. She made a report to police on May 17. Police searched the surrounding area, but could not find the woman’s car.

Drug Possession

When police arrested Jeremiah Smith, 39, for attempting to rob a 37-year-old woman on Myrtle Avenue at Emerson Place on May 14 at 10:50 a.m., they made another discovery — he allegedly was carrying a pipe containing crack residue.

Smith was charged with attempted robbery in the third degree, attempted grand larceny in the fourth degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, attempted petit larceny, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

Unauthorized Bank Activity

-A 60-year-old woman told police that she discovered she lost her Sovereign/Visa debit card on May 15 when she was inside her home on Myrtle Avenue between Waverly and Clinton Avenues. She said she also realized that someone made purchases using her card.

-A 34-year-old woman who lives on Clinton Avenue between Willoughby and DeKalb Avenues told police that between Feb. 1 and April 30, someone opened several bank accounts in her name, deposited two different checks totaling $8,071.19, and then withdrew the money. She did not report the fraudulent bank activity until May 17 at 1:20 p.m.