Amir Rivera, 26, was arrested on Jan. 18 for allegedly robbing and sending death threats to a 16-year-old boy. Police said that he phoned the boy and also texted him “Yo I need money or jewelry or something valuable or you’re gonna die. I’ll shoot you.” The teenager gave Rivera an air mattress, a video game and an xBox Kinect game system, worth a total of $1,020.
Rivera is charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, harassment in the second degree and unlawful possession of marijuana, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.
Including to the above crime, 23 felonies and six arrests were reported in the 88th precinct between Jan. 13 and Jan. 19. Two women and a teenage girl were assaulted at the Tillary Street Women’s Shelter, a continuing trend from the last week of December. Locals also reported smartphone thefts on the street, bank fraud and robberies on the subway.
Assaults at the Tillary Street Women’s Shelter
-Migdalia Rodriguez, 52, allegedly beat a 37-year-old fellow Tillary Street Women’s Shelter resident with a cane on the head, back and arms during an argument on Jan. 16 at 5:36 p.m. Police arrested Rodriguez and the Kings County District Attorney’s office charged her with assault in the third degree, attempted assault in the third degree, menacing in the second and degrees, harassment in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. EMTs treated the injured woman at the scene.
-Police arrested Derrick McCleod, 23, for allegedly beating two teenage girls with a chunk of a wooden police barrier at the Tillary Street Women’s Shelter on Jan. 17 at 7:12 p.m. A 14-year-old girl was taken to the hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises on her head, face and neck. Police could not say which hospital treated her. An 18-year-old woman was treated on the scene by EMTs for bruises on her face and arm.
McCleod is charged with assault in the third degree, attempted assault in the third degree, menacing in the second and third degree, harassment in the second degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and disorderly conduct, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.
Thefts on Subway
-A 37-year-old woman was robbed entering the subway at Fulton Street and Washington Avenue Jan. 13. She told police that a man was at the turnstile, asking for people to swipe him into the subway. When she was going through the turnstile, he pushed her from behind and grabbed her wallet from her bag. He fled aboveground on Washington Avenue.
“Honestly, it was a crime of opportunity,” the woman told The Nabe. “It was the gentlest of all robberies possible in the grand scheme of things, just be more vigilant about where your wallet is.”
-A 33-year-old man told police that a man snatched his iPad on the Manhattan-bound 4 train on Jan. 14 at 7 p.m., and ran out of the train. He said he did not see the thief’s face and continued on train to the next stop at Nevins Street, police reported.
Thefts on Streets
-A thief stole a purse from a 20-year-old woman sitting on a bench on Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street on Jan. 15. She told police that he tried to grab her iPhone from her hand and after a brief struggle, he grabbed her purse, with her orange wallet containing a $100 bill and her school identification inside, and ran off. Police said she was not injured.
-A 13-year-old girl was robbed walking home from school on Jan. 16 near Vanderbilt Avenue and Lafayette Avenues. She told police that two teenage boys she knew grabbed her iPod. The next day, police arrested a 13-year-old boy and a 14-year-old boy. The Kings County District Attorney’s office was not able to provide information on the charges since they are juveniles.
The same 14-year-old boy was also arrested the same day for allegedly stealing a pair of headphones from a 26-year-old woman as she was walking near Lafayette Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue on Jan. 16 at 3:25 p.m. She told police that she was surrounded by five teenage boys, one of whom snatched the headphones off her head and ran off down Lafayette Avenue. Police said she wasn’t hurt.
Smartphone Thefts
-Mario Joseph, 28, allegedly punched a 22-year-old woman in the face in a struggle as she was trying to leave his car near Gates Avenue and Washington Avenue at 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 15. He stole her iPhone and drove off. Police arrested him two hours later.
Joseph is charged with robbery in the third degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree, unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, menacing in the third degree and harassment in the second degree, according to the Kings County District Attorney’s office.
-Three men stole a Samsung Galaxy 2 cellphone from a 53-year-old woman while she was walking on Lafayette Avenue near Carlton Avenue at 6:16 p.m. on Jan 16. She told police that one man pretended to stumble in her direction, then grabbed her phone. The men ran off in opposite directions. Police attempted to track the phone, but it was turned off.
-A 43-year-old woman told police that her iPhone 5 was stolen when she was walking near South Oxford Street and Fulton Street on Jan. 16 at 6:00 p.m. She said that three men approached her from behind, and one of them grabbed her phone. The police used the Find My iPhone app to track the phone to a barbershop on Saratoga Avenue and East New York Avenue, but could not find the phone.
-A 22-year-old woman told police that her iPhone was stolen. She was walking on South Portland Avenue on Jan. 19 at 9:20 p.m. when someone came from behind, grabbed it and fled. Police attempted to track the phone, but the phone was turned off.
Stabbing
A woman told police her 30-year-old male friend was stabbed while they were at a party near Putnam Avenue and Classon Avenue on Jan. 18 at 2:45 a.m. She said that she was outside when he walked up to her, bleeding from stab wounds on his arms, legs and chest. She drove him to Kings County Hospital and told police she did not see who had stabbed her friend.
Burglary from Home
A 43-year-old woman told police on Jan. 14 that someone broke into her apartment on Flushing Avenue and North Elliott Place two nights ago while she was out, and stole a black key safe from her bedroom. Police could not say what was in the safe.
Thefts from Bank Accounts
-A 37-year-old man reported to the police on Jan. 14 that $5,400 had been stolen from his TD Bank account while he was in federal prison last year from May to September. He said he had left his wallet at a halfway house in the Bronx where he lived from Dec. 2012 to May 2013 before going to prison. He told police that his brother had picked up the wallet from the halfway house while he was in prison. When he was released, and went to live at his brother’s house, he discovered that his debit card, Social Security card, birth certificate and I.D. were missing from his wallet, and a total of $5,400 had been withdrawn from his bank account in two ATM transactions between June 28, 2013 and July 1, 2013.
-The treasurer for Jelani Mashariki’s unsuccessful City Council campaign told police on Jan. 13 that he discovered that someone had stolen a total of $6,670 from the campaign’s bank account by forging checks. He discovered the fraud by checking the campaign’s account records after an unauthorized transaction alert from Chase bank.
Theft at School
A 43-year-old P.S. 753 teacher told police that her wallet was stolen from her bag on Jan. 14. She had hidden her bag in her classroom at the beginning of the school day, and after school, found that her wallet containing Citibank debit card debit, an MCU card debit, her union card, driver’s license and NYC Department of Education I.D. were missing.
Theft from Vehicle
A 39-year-old man reported to police that his wallet, with a Chase debit card, his driver’s license, Social Security card and New York State medication card, had been stolen from his parked car on near Willoughby Avenue and Classon Avenue on Jan. 16 between 1 p.m. and 2:55 p.m. There was no sign of forced entry, police said.
Stolen Wallet
A 25-year-old man left his black wallet on a table at the Bank of America on Jan. 16 at noon and came back to find it missing. Police said the wallet had his American Express and Visa credit cards, a Bank of America debit card, a metro card and a health insurance card.
Attempted Theft
A 17-year-old girl told police that someone tried to steal her duffle bag when she was walking near Willoughby Avenue and Washington Avenue on Jan. 18 at 1:18 p.m. Police said that she was not hurt. Police searched the area but could not find the culprit.
Car Thefts
-A 31-year-old man discovered his car had been stolen after he came back from vacation. He told police on Jan. 14 that he had parked his 1997 Honda on Jan. 6 at 9:30 p.m. at Lefferts Place and Classon Ave and found it was gone on Jan. 12.
-A 44-year-old man told the police that his 2000 Ford F250 was stolen from Washington Avenue and Greene Avenue. He had parked his car on Jan. 15 and came back on Jan. 17 and found it was gone.
-A 37-year-old woman reported that her car was stolen overnight on Jan. 19. Police said there was no broken glass around where the car had been parked on Waverly Avenue and Myrtle Avenue.
