Crime Report: Shooting, Assaults and Thefts on Streets

Police arrested Shaquille Dinkins, 21, for allegedly knocking a 25-year-old man off his bike as he was riding on Vanderbilt Avenue near Park Avenue and stealing his iPhone and backpack, with a Boombot portable speaker, on May 28 at 10:30 p.m. A half hour later, police tracked the phone to the Walt Whitman Houses and said they found it with Dinkins when they arrested him. Several other unidentified thieves were also involved in the robbery, police said.

Police arrested Dinkins again the next day for allegedly threatening a 30-year-old man with a knife and stealing his backpack shortly before the above theft. The man said that Dinkins, another man and a woman approached him and the man punched him in the face. Dinkins allegedly took out a knife and tried to slash him while the woman snatched his backpack.

Police said they do not have a description of the woman. Police said they found the man’s backpack in Dinkins’ apartment when they arrested him on May 29. Dinkins is charged with robbery in the first, second and third degrees, grand larceny in the fourth degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and fifth degrees, assault in the second and third degrees, petit larceny, menacing in the second and third degrees, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, attempted assault in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

Including the above crime, 35 felonies and five arrests were reported in the 88th Precinct between May 25 and June 1. Locals reported a shooting, iPhone thefts, assaults and a pickpocketing on the B38 bus.

Gunshot Wound

A 20-year-old man was shot in the right forearm as he was getting out of his car on Park Avenue near North Elliott Place on May 31 at 11:30 p.m. He told police he was going to a nearby cookout when he heard shots fired at his car and realized he’d been shot. Police could not say where he was treated, and did not know the motive for the shooting.

Assaults

-A 40-year-old man told police that an attacker hit him in the face, ribs and elbows as he was talking on his phone on Emerson Place near Willoughby Avenue on May 27 at 12:30 a.m. The attacker threw a cellphone at him before fleeing in a white Hyundai.

-An attacker slashed a 29-year-old man on the arm as he was walking on Adelphi Street near Myrtle Avenue on June 1 at 4 p.m. The victim could not say if the weapon was a knife or another sharp object. The man received nine stitches in his left forearm at Brooklyn Hospital Center, police said.

iPhone Thefts

-A gang of attackers knocked a 38-year-old woman to the ground and stole her iPhone 5S and white Mophie case as she was walking on South Oxford Street near DeKalb Avenue on May 27 at 8:45 p.m. She told police that the thieves first hit her on the back of the head with a coat hanger and as she tried to escape, pulled her hair and threw her to the ground. The thieves snatched her phone and ran north on South Oxford Street. Police said the woman was not injured, and could not say how many thieves were involved in the attack.

-Police arrested a 17-year-old boy for allegedly stealing an iPhone 4 from a 13-year-old boy who was walking with his little brother on Cumberland Street near DeKalb Avenue on May 29 at 3:20 p.m. The victim told police that the thief said, “Hand over the phone, you have your little brother with you,” and then threw the phone when he saw police officers rushing to the aid. The 17-year-old is charged with robbery in the third degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree, petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

-A thief snatched a cellphone from a 45-year-old woman as she was walking on Clermont Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue on May 30 at 2:35 a.m. The thief fled west in a car on Clermont Avenue. Police searched but could not find him.

Thefts on Street

-A thief tried unsuccessfully to grab a 33-year-old woman’s duffel bag as she was walking on DeKalb Avenue near the Flatbush Avenue Extension on May 26 at 4:15 a.m. She told police that the would-be thief jumped into a SUV and sped away south on Flatbush Avenue.

-A man punched a 25-year-old woman in the face and stole her MacBook while she was using it on the front stoop of her apartment building on Cumberland Street near DeKalb Avenue on May 30 at midnight. The thief ran north on Cumberland Street. Police searched but could not find him.

-A thief punched a 51-year-old woman in the face and robbed her as she was walking on Myrtle Avenue near Washington Walk on May 31 at 5:15 p.m. She told police that the man went through her pockets and took her New York State identification, Chase debit card and her New York State benefit card. The thief was seen running into 135 Washington Walk, police said.

Thrown Bottle

A man threw a glass bottle at a 25-year-old Navy recruiter, but missed hitting him, near the Armed Forces Recruitment Office at 41 Flatbush Avenue Extension on May 27 at 11:45 a.m.

Construction Scam

Police arrested Angelo Adams, 24, for allegedly billing the Habana Outpost at 757 Fulton Street for $290 for construction work that was never done. A manager told police that Adams had never been hired to work there. Adams is charged with petit larceny and false impersonation, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.

Theft from Homes

-A thief stole a skirt and $75 from a 30-year-old woman’s apartment on Lexington Avenue near Classon Avenue. She told police she left her apartment at 7:30 on May 25 and came back the next day at 1:20 p.m. to find her belongings missing. -A thief stole an iPad and an iMac from a 26-year-old woman’s apartment in the Ingersoll Houses on May 27. She told police she left her apartment at midnight and came back later that day at 2:30 p.m. and discovered her computer and tablet were missing.

-A thief broke into a 43-year-old man’s apartment on Adelphi Street near Lafayette Avenue by slashing a window screen and stole a $2,000 blue Motobecane bicycle. The man told police that he left his apartment on May 30 at 9 a.m. and when he came back the next day at 10 a.m. his bicycle was missing.

Thefts from Deliverymen

-A Super Bread deliveryman told police that a thief stole his wallet and $700 belonging to the business from his truck parked on Park Avenue near North Oxford Street on May 27 at 1:30 p.m.

-A thief stole a Samsung Galaxy S4, an iPhone 5 and a wallet with a gold American Express business card from a Bronx Freight and Fish truck parked on Myrtle Avenue near Ryerson Street on May 31 at 1:40 p.m. The deliveryman told police he had left his truck unlocked while making a delivery. Police tracked the phone to Carlton Avenue near Park Avenue where they found the wallet.

Stolen Wallet

A 38-year-old woman told police that she noticed her wallet, with an American Express credit card, American Express Delta Miles credit card, TD Bank debit card and Visa debit card, was missing from her purse when she arrived home on Clinton Avenue near Lafayette Avenue on May 24 at 3 p.m.

Cellphone Fraud

A 36-year-old man told police on May 26 that someone had used his personal information to open an AT&T cellphone account in his name. He told police that he discovered the fraud when he checked his credit score and saw the account with a balance of $422.77.

Bike Thefts

-A Citibike was stolen from the station on Saint Edwards Place at Myrtle Avenue on May 7. The bike was last used on May 6, police said.

-A 47-year-old man told police that a thief stole his $2,000 black Cannondale bicycle from where it was parked in front of the Connecticut Muffin at 59 Lafayette Avenue on May 26 at 11 a.m.

Theft on B38 Bus

A pickpocket stole a 60-year-old woman’s wallet, with her Chase debit card, checkbook and Capital One credit card, as she was riding the B38 bus on May 27 at 3 p.m. She told police no charges had been made on her cards.

Theft at School

Police arrested a 12-year-old girl on May 30 for allegedly stealing her 34-year-old teacher’s Coach wallet, with $40 and credit cards, two days before. The teacher told police that she had seen the girl running out of her classroom in a school on Clermont Avenue near Park Avenue on May 28, and that a witness found her empty wallet outside the Walt Whitman Houses. When the principal confronted the girl the next day, she allegedly admitted to stealing the wallet and promised to return its contents. Police arrested the girl when she failed to return the credit cards and cash. The Kings County District Attorney’s office did not have information on the charges as she is a minor.

Green Dot MoneyPak Card Scam

A scam artist defrauded a 23-year-old man of $2,930 on May 24. The man told police that the con artist contacted him online, convinced the man to deposit a false check to his bank account and buy six Green Dot MoneyPak cards, which he gave to the con artist.

Tire Theft

A 58-year-old man told police that a thief stripped all four tires and rims from his car parked on Grand Avenue near Willoughby Avenue overnight on May 30. He told police he had left his car at 9 p.m. and came back the next morning at 6 a.m. to find his wheels missing.

Theft from Cars

-A thief broke the driver’s side window of a 32-year-old woman’s car parked on Lefferts Place near Classon Avenue and stole a suitcase with jewelry, an incense burner and a GPS system worth $3,200. She told police she had parked her car at 9:30 p.m. on May 20 and came back four days later at 3 p.m. to find her belongings gone.

-A thief broke the left rear window of a 25-year-old man’s car parked on Saint Felix Street near Lafayette Avenue and stole a HP laptop, a blue North Face backpack, a pair of Adidas sneakers, an external hard drive and a pair of eyeglasses on May 28. The man told police that he had parked his car at 12:30 a.m. and came back at 4 a.m. to find his belongings missing.

-A thief stole $8,000 in a black laptop bag from a car parked on Classon Avenue near Putnam Avenue by worker who was refilling a nearby ATM machine on May 30 at 8 p.m. He told police that the thief broke the right passenger window.

Theft from U-Haul

A 26-year-old woman told police that a thief stole a MacBook Pro, Bank of America checkbooks and an external hard drive from a U-Haul truck parked on Myrtle Avenue near Adelphi Street on June 1 at 1 p.m. while she was moving into an apartment.

Car Thefts

-A 27-year-old man left his car parked on Park Avenue near Clermont Avenue on May 27 at 5:30 p.m. and came back two days later to find it missing. Police could not say what type of car it was.

-A man told police on May 30 that his 2007 Mitsubishi had been missing since August 1, when it had been left parked in front of an auto repair shop on Carlton Avenue near Flushing Avenue. The man could not explain why he waited so long to report the car stolen, police said.

Domestic Assault

Police arrested Steven Colbert, 34, for allegedly pushing his 25-year-old girlfriend to the ground and choking her in her apartment in the Walt Whitman Houses on May 31. She told police that she was arguing with Colbert and called police when he refused to leave. While she was on the phone, he shoved her to the floor and started choking her, according to the police report. EMS treated the woman for cuts and bruises to her neck and upper arms. Colbert is charged with assault in the third degree, criminal obstruction breathing or blood circulation, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.