Subway Passengers Pepper Spray Phone Thief
A 26-year-old man told police that at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 29, he was riding a northbound 1 train when he was approached by a male stranger who forcibly tried slapping his phone from his hand. The stranger succeeded, and when he picked up the victim’s phone he struck him as well, causing an injury to the victim’s left eye. Fellow passengers then assisted the victim and pepper sprayed the suspect, who dropped the phone on the floor. The victim recovered his phone, and the suspect fled at the Broadway and West 96th St. station. A search of the area failed to turn up the suspects, and the victim refused medical attention at the scene.
Armed Men Rob Local Smoke Shop
A 22-year-old female employee of the Metro Buds smoke shop at 72 West 106th St. at Columbus Ave. said that at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 2, six men entered the establishment, displayed two firearms and forcibly removed $1,000 in cash, along with cannabis valued at $15,000. The suspects then fled on foot in an unknown direction. Apparently, four of the suspects were known to the employee, but police couldn’t find them in the neighborhood following the incident.
Female Stranger Assaults Man Dining Outdoors
A 37-year-old man reported that at 4 a.m. on Friday, December 2, he was at the front outdoor dining area of the Dive Bar at 732 Amsterdam Ave. at West 96th St. when an unknown woman approached, picked up a chair and hit him over the head before picking up a table and hitting him again on the head, causing him pain. The suspect fled in an unknown direction in an Uber Car while the victim refused medical attention at the scene.
Senior Victimized in Fake Debt Scam
According to police, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 30, a 92-year-old woman living on West 86th St. was conned into sending $15,000 to an unknown individual who told her that she had to send the money to clear her name of debt. Unfortunately, she believed the individual’s story and transferred the funds from her Chase Bank account to the suspect by wire.
Partygoer Suspected of Stealing Woman’s Blank Check
A 60-year-old woman living on West End Ave. said that at 8:20 a.m. on Tuesday, November 22, she received a text from the Chase Bank fraud security department asking her to confirm if she had made a recent transaction in the amount of $9,500. The bank provided her a copy of the cashed check, and she noticed it was a check missing from her checkbook. She told police she didn’t know the name of the person to whom the check was written, but her son had had a large party at her house the day before Halloween and thought someone may have gone into her room and stolen a blank check from her checkbook.