Cops Threaten ‘All Out War’ On Bay Parkway Hooligans

Cops say they have identified the teens who have been terrorizing mostly Chinese-owned shops on Bay Parkway for more than a year, and have probable cause to arrest at least two of them.

Approximately 30 merchants, elected officials, members of law enforcement, and community liaisons attended a meeting at the 62nd Precinct this morning to address the problem of rowdy youths deliberately destroying property, stealing merchandise, and harassing customers, forcing business owners to install heavy duty locks on their stores.

The shopkeepers shared photos, surveillance video, and even the home addresses of the kids — who run in packs of five or six and target the same stores multiple times a day — and local police officers recognized the youths as neighborhood troublemakers.

“It’s the same people in every picture,” Captain William Taylor told merchants. “If we don’t see a crime in the video, we can’t make an arrest, but we are certainly going to make contact with these people today, and forewarn them to stay off of Bay Parkway and out of your stores.”

If the kids are found causing trouble on Bay Parkway again, “The 62nd Precinct is going to unleash all out war on these people,” warned Taylor.

(Taylor declined to reveal the teens’ identities since they are minors, but they are described as white, between the ages of 13 and 18.)

Taylor also scolded the merchants for failing to report the crimes earlier and addressed claims that police were unresponsive to their complaints. He said he pulled all the police reports from Bay Parkway from the last two months and did not find not a single complaint about the kids.

“I cannot help if I don’t know,” said Taylor. “According to the news, this has been going on now for a year, and I just found out about it last Tuesday.”

Several business owners told Bensonhurst Bean (through a translator) that their inability to speak English has deterred them from reporting the crimes to the police. Other said that they have called 911 many times, but by the time cops arrive, the kids are already gone.

When police do arrive, it can take some time to identify which dialects the merchant speaks and find a police officer who can communicate with them, speculated Taylor.

To prevent future misunderstanding, Taylor told merchants to call District Leader Nancy Tong at Assemblyman William Colton’s office, Dr. Tim Law — a community liaison who “knows at least three dialects” — or the 62nd Precinct’s Captain Nelson Chen, who speaks Taiwanese and Mandarin. The liaison will ensure that an officer who speaks the business owner’s exact dialect will be sent to scene.

In attendance was Tong from Colton’s office, a representative from Councilman David Greenfield’s office, and Councilman Mark Treyger.

“We take this very, very seriously. We live in a great neighborhood and we want to keep it great. Today what we are doing is getting information clear, so we’re on the same page, and there will be follow up. We will be meeting again to make sure those who are responsible are held accountable,” said Treyger. “There will be justice served, because nobody should terrorize anybody in this community.

Treyger also suggested forming a Bay Parkway merchant’s association to coordinate meetings with the Sanitation Department, law enforcement, and other city agencies.