Crime Report: A Sharp Decrease in Crime and Left-Behind Items Stolen from Restaurants and Bars

Mathew Hernandez, 21, was arrested after he allegedly bashed a 41-year-old man in the face with a glass plate in front of Mojito Cuban Cuisine on Washington Avenue on Dec. 30 at 1:30 a.m.  The victim said that he left the restaurant when he saw Hernandez arguing aggressively with another patron, but Hernandez followed him out and attacked him. He was taken to the Brooklyn Hospital Center for treatment, police said.

Hernandez was charged with assault in the second and third degrees, menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

Including the crime above, nine felonies and two arrests were reported last week – a sharp decrease from the week before with 18 felonies and nine arrests. In addition to muggings, assaults and a burglary, locals reported their forgotten belongings stolen from restaurants and bars, and iPhones stolen on the street.

Mugging in Apartment

A 62-year-old man told police that during an argument in his Lafayette Avenue apartment on Jan. 2, another man punched him in the face, head and stomach and threatened to hit him with an ice pick if he did not fork over $10. The attacker fled after the 7:30 p.m. attack. Police canvassed the area but could not find the attacker.

Deliveryman Mugged

A 34-year-old deliveryman told police that he was dropping off food at an Ingersoll Houses apartment on Jan. 2 at 7:40 p.m. when a mask-wearing man punched him in the chin, took his motorized bicycle and fled. Police canvassed the area but could not find the thief or the bicycle.

Knife Attack

Joseph Dixon, 25, was arrested after he allegedly cut a 25-year-old woman on her right hand with a knife and punched her in the head, causing swelling, during a struggle in a Clermont Avenue apartment on Dec. 30 at about noon.

Dixon was charged with assault in the second and third degrees, menacing in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

Street Theft

-A 17-year-old boy told police that a man approached him, said, “Let me see your phone” and snatched his iPhone as he was leaving Pioneer Supermarket on Lafayette Avenue between Saint James Place and Classon Avenue on Dec. 31 at 7:20 p.m. When the boy tried to take his phone back, the thief allegedly pulled out a black object the victim thought was a weapon from his waistband. The thief wore a black leather jacket with the word “Brooklyn” emblazoned on the back and a black hoodie underneath. He fled east on Lafayette Avenue toward Franklin Avenue, cops said. The phone was tracked to the Lafayette Gardens Houses, but not recovered, according to police.

-Four men came up behind a 19-year-old woman, pushed her and stole her iPhone and purse – containing a New York State identification card, Binghamton University identification card and keys – as she walked on the grounds of the Ingersoll Houses on Jan. 2 at about 7:40 p.m., police reported. The men fled the scene by running into a nearby building, cops said. Police searched the area but could not find the men or the stolen items.

Thefts from Restaurants and Bars

-A 26-year-old woman told police that she left her iPhone and Michael Kors wallet – containing a driver’s license, a Capitol One credit card and a Paragon Sports gift card – at the Fulton Grand Bar on Fulton Street near Grand Avenue on Dec. 19 at 2 a.m. When she returned to the bar an hour later, the items were gone. The woman told police that unauthorized charges were made on her card, though police could not confirm how much was charged. A precinct Community Affairs officer could not explain why the woman made the police report 11 days later, on Dec. 30.

-A 23-year-old woman told police that she put her bag down in the outdoor dining area at Pequeña Restaurant on South Portland Avenue on Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. When she returned an hour later, the bag – containing $1,000, a United Postal Service money order for $160, a Capital One credit card, a Patelco debit card and a Brooklyn Cooperative debit card – was gone. There were no security cameras at the restaurant, police said.

Home Burglary