Crime Blotter: Drunk Guy Steals Cab, $1,275 Of Beer Taken & More

Emily -


15 felonies and three arrests were reported in the 88th precinct between June 14 and June 22. More details on these crimes, including armed robberies, fraud, and automotive thefts, below.

In-taxi-cated

43-year-old Eric Leaphart was arrested in the early morning hours of June 17 for allegedly stealing a green cab. A yellow cab driver told police that he picked up Leaphart in Manhattan and drove him to three different locations before finally stopping at Greene and Washington Avenues, where Leaphart refused to pay the fare, urinated in the vehicle, and walked off. A green cab driver who stopped to help was allegedly punched in the chest by Leaphart, who then stole his car. The drivers followed Leaphart until police could arrest him.

Leaphart, whose blood alcohol level was .18 at the time of the incident, is charged with grand larceny, harassment, aggravated driving while intoxicated, attempted assault, menacing, and operating a motor vehicle without a license, according to the Manhattan District Attorney.

Other Car Thefts

  • A man’s 1992 Honda Accord, which cops say had been parked on Washington Avenue near Lafayette Avenue, was stolen sometime between 10:30pm on 15 and 7am on June 16.
  • A woman told police that her son parked her blue 1993 Volvo on Carlton Avenue near Myrtle Avenue around 10pm on June 17. When she went to pick it up two days later, she said, it had been stolen.

Muggings & Attacks

  • Police arrested Riad Mahmoud, 40, for allegedly punching a man and stealing his iPhone and wallet around 2pm on June 17. The victim told police he’d made a bet on a World Cup game with Mahmoud, who later demanded $200. The victim refused, saying the bet had been a joke, and was allegedly jumped by Mahmoud on Carlton Avenue and Lafayette Avenue. Cops used a phone tracking app to find Mahmoud, who the Brooklyn DA says is charged with petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, attempted assault, menacing, and harassment.
  • Two people were robbed at gunpoint in Fort Greene Park on June 18 around 1am, police say. The victims were walking near the Myrtle Avenue and Washington Park entrance when they were approached by a thief with a silver handgun–who then made off with their briefcase and handbag, which contained an iPhone and a wallet, down DeKalb Avenue.
  • A man held up a woman at knifepoint June 18 while she was walking on Waverly Avenue near Flushing Avenue around 9:30 pm. The victim told police that the perp rode a Citi Bike up to her, demanded her phone, and pointed a knife at her. When she refused, cops say, the thief grabbed her hands and cut her left forearm, then rode south on Waverly Avenue without taking her phone. Emergency medical services treated the woman for a scratch on her arm.

Beer Bandit

A thief stole $1,275 worth of Bud Light from a delivery truck parked on Ryerson Street near Park Avenue, the truck’s driver told police. He said that when he came to start his route at 1:30pm on June 17, he noticed the driver’s side window was partially down and the seal securing the back door of the truck was missing. When he opened the truck, he discovered a full pallet of beer had been taken. He said the previous driver had parked the truck on June 14 at 8pm.

Other Thefts, Burglaries & Break Ins

  • A man told police that a laptop and handbag were stolen from his apartment on Grand Avenue near Myrtle sometime between 1:45 and 10:30pm on June 20. He said upon returning to their home, his wife found their front security gate unlocked.
  • A flat screen TV was lifted from a woman’s Greene Avenue apartment on June 21 or 22. She told police she left home at 2 pm on the 21st, and when she came back the next day, she discovered the front door unlocked.
  • A woman told police that her wallet was stolen from an office in the Atlantic Terminal Houses on June 17. She discovered the theft when she left the building to hail a cab.
  • Cops say a woman’s purse containing her credit and debit cards was stolen while she was eating at McDonalds on Flatbush Avenue Extension and Dekalb Avenue around 12:30pm on June 20.
  • A sewing machine was stolen from a woman’s rental car around 2:15pm on June 19, which cops say had been parked on Flatbush Avenue Extension near Willoughby Street.

Fraud

A woman told police that someone used her personal information to open a credit card in her name. She discovered the fraud around June 21, when she received a bill for $768 at her Downing Street home.

Domestic Assaults

  • Police arrested James Henderson for allegedly punching his girlfriend in the face during an argument around on June 15. The Brooklyn DA’s office says Henderson is charged with attempted assault, menacing, and harassment. EMS treated the victim for cuts and bruises on her face.
  • A woman told police that her boyfriend picked her up by the neck and choked her when she tried to leave his Willoughby Avenue apartment on after an argument on June 16. She was treated by EMS for cuts on her neck and head.
  • A man told police that his girlfriend threw a glass bottle at his face during an argument outside his Putnam Avenue home on June 17. EMS treated the victim for a deep cut on the left side of his face. Police were unable to locate the man’s girlfriend.