Three 15-year-old boys playing handball in Sara Roosevelt Park last night at around 7:40 p.m. were approached by a group of six men and one woman. According to the NYPD, the group brandished a pistol and demanded that the teenagers empty their pockets. When they refused, the boys were shot with pepper spray, and the assailants ran. more ›

Last week, the Brooklyn Paper revealed that the latest victim of an armed man robbing people in Fort Greene claimed a local novelist as his latest victim, prompting the inevitable question: Which Brooklyn novelist could it be? Now, the cops have found the suspect—and the novelist has expressed his gratitude. more ›

You may recall the rather Kafka-esque story of a woman who was arrested for armed robbery... only for prosecutors to realize that she was being framed by her ex-boyfriend because she had accused him of rape and refused to drop the charges. Now the woman, Seemona Sumasar, tells the NY Times, "From the beginning I was presumed guilty — not innocent. I felt like I never had a chance... I can never have faith in justice in this country again." more ›

According to the police, two armed teenagers held up three men in Central Park last night, with their robbery spree beginning just before midnight. WABC 7 reports that the incidents occurred over 30 minutes, starting at East 84th Street and East Drive: "The suspects, ages 17 and 19, were arrested after police flooded the park following the spree... Police say one of the teens held a gun while the other robbed the victims. The suspects took a bicycle, cell phones, a wallet, a backpack, glasses and sneakers." According to NYPD crime stats (PDF), there have been 16 robberies in Central Park so far this year, which is 23% more than last year and 33% over 2008. more ›

The story of a Harlem pizza deliveryman who didn't hesitate to take on two thugs—one of the armed—to save his pies has reached readers worldwide. The Telegraph reports that 19-year-old Assami Semde, an employee of Famous Famiglia pizza, was "just doing his job" when he crossed paths with two young men in bandannas who asked him "could they get a slice." One of them "put a gun to my head and said, 'Give me the pizza.'" Semde told the Post. "I thought it was a strange game." Even though he was outnumbered, Semde pushed the gunman over as he reached for the pies. Soon the 6 foot 4 Burkina Faso native was scuffling with both men. more ›

The service is great at Famous Famiglia pizza in East Harlem, reports one customer. No kidding! An employee there wouldn't let anything get in the way of his of his delivery—not even a thug threatening him with a gun. The owner of the chain—official pizzeria to the Yankees— told the AP 19-year-old Assami Semde was en route with cheese and pepperoni pies last week when two guys started messing with him. One brandished a gun and told him to drop the boxes. At first Semde seemed to comply, but when the gunslinger bent down to get them he pushed him over. Cops arrested one man on attempted robbery charges and gave the devoted deliveryman a police escort to the pies' rightful recipient. more ›

Actor Rip Torn—who drunkenly broke into a bank, allegedly mistaking it for his home—has pleaded not guilty to burglary and firearms charges. Cops found him passed out inside the Litchfield Bancorp in Connecticut with a loaded firearm at his side. Yesterday, Torn said, "I've put myself in treatment before and I was completely abstinent before this happened.' more ›

As police continue to search for a man who allegedly bit a cabbie on the arm, neck and back during an attempted robbery, the livery cab driver has come forward with his side of the story. Mahmoud Seck says that when the gun-wielding passenger demanded his money, he threatened, "Your family --- expects to see you dead!" more ›

The alleged thief who impersonated another man at his arraignment, then walked out of the courtroom a free man, was found last night in midtown Manhattan. What’s more, officials say 35-year-old Freddie Thomson—who should have faced charges for armed robbery, but instead pleaded guilty to marijuana possession—was not solely at fault. According to Police Commissioner Ray Kelly an officer failed to "adequately check the identification of the prisoner." He added that "There was a mistake made here. There's no question about it." more ›

Jason Katanic didn’t have a clean record when he was hired as a firearms instructor for the NY Correction Department, but he definitely had experience with guns. The city is now investigating how the ex-con—who as a teen went on a robbing and shooting spree that left one of his pals dead—got the job in the first place. more ›

A man who's committed a string of armed robberies at cafes, shops and boutiques in the Village reminded a victim of someone—with a thin, pale face, sunken cheeks and piercing eyes, he was the spitting image of Beat writer and classy junkie William S. Burroughs. more ›

Seven police officers had to be treated for injuries after a home invasion robbery led to cops on a chase throughout the Lower East Side that would land three of them in the East River (yet again) while trying to apprehend a fleeing suspect. Three gunmen held up a group of residents inside an elevator of the Smith Houses, a housing project in between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, not far from the East River. After forcing the group (one of whom was a pregnant woman) into one of their apartments, the thugs duct taped them together and robbed them of guns, cash and cell phones. When one of the victims broke free and got out of the building, the chase quickly became an affair of cops versus robbers. One of the suspects tried to get away by jumping in the East River, as one witness describes it, "All I saw was a dude in the water. He was all nervous, scared. He was just trying to get away from the police." At one point, two housing officers tried to become part of the nautical apprehension late in the game as another witness tells the News, "He jumped in and the guy was already surrendering." Four other offices were injured when two squad cars crashed during the mayhem. more ›

An attempted robbery at an East Flatbush auto shop yesterday turned into a wild shootout when two cops intervened. Two robbers pulled out guns and ordered everyone on the floor at Mel's Auto Specialist on Glenwood Road. Little did they know that one of the customers getting his 1998 Lexus checked out was an off-duty NYPD officer. Once their attention was elsewhere, the cop fired off a round, killing one of the robbers as the other fled into an SUV. The Post describes it "like a scene out of a Dirty Harry movie," as the officer chased the second suspect into the street, while bullets came flying at him. When he returned to the original scene, a second off-duty cop had now arrived and was telling him to put down his weapon. "I'm a cop! I'm a cop," yelled the original officer, according to the News. One customer in the shop during the robbery told WCBS 2, "I think he's very brave, and I'm very proud of him because we can't have these criminals walking around trying to rob people. Tomorrow is Mother's Day—it could have been anyone." more ›

The Jamba Juice at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street was robbed at gunpoint yesterday morning. The robbery was a case of (peach) perfection with cops arriving in time to spot the assailant, but not able to capture him when he fled as swiftly as a (strawberry) surf rider. During the robbery, two employees on duty were given a (protein berry) workout as the robber, described as a six-foot tall black man, (chocolate) moo'd them to the back room. He then cleared out the cash register and safe while he likely achieved a state of (strawberry) nirvana. Despite being armed, no (wheatgrass) shots were fired and the thief can now only hope for some form of immunity (boost) if he is caught. more ›

A robbery of a deli in Garfield, New Jersey turned deadly when the manager of the store was shot and killed yesterday afternoon. 30-year-old Ahmed Alsurahki was working alone at his family-run store, Billy's Deli, when it was robbed around 3:30 p.m. Police say that the store has been robbed several times in recent years. The Alsurahkis took over the reins of the establishment after the previous owner was wounded in a shooting in 2005. A neighbor told ABC-7, "This isn't the first time. This store is a very easy target. People been shot in that store couple times." Ahmed Alsurahki had just taken over running Billy's Deli and was engaged to be married next month. There is no word yet on witnesses or suspects. more ›

Gunshots stemming from the attempted armed robbery of a jewelry store inside the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel led to a scene of chaos inside the lobby of one of New York's fanciest destinations for hospitality. more ›

One suspect is in custody after a retired police officer was shot in the chest following a botched robbery at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel on Park Avenue. The victim was working in a jewelry store inside the hotel and was shot after trying to thwart the suspect from stealing some high-end watches for the store. Streets surrounding the hotel have been closed off as the investigation continues. We hear that the Secret Service was on the scene too--because there apparently a foreign dignitary staying across the street at the Intercontinental! more ›

A Queens barbershop owner is in critical condition after being shot in an attempted armed robbery Friday night. As one robber entered Rah's Barber Shop in the Jamaica section of Queens and was confronted by its owner, a second man emerged from the back and shot the proprietor in the chest. The victim's name was only given as Raheem by a friend. Once he was shot, a group of up to five people wrestled the attackers down to the ground as two children (including Raheem's son) were rushed to safety in the back. Raheem is being attended to at Mary Immaculate Hospital. more ›

Cops are looking for two suspects in a series of robberies of three separate women who were showing apartments in Brooklyn. The men have responded to ads in Asian-language newspapers that listed apartments for rent in Borough Park and Bensonhurst and then arrived at the women's homes only burglarize them. One of the two men has been armed in each of the robberies and in two of the three incidents, the suspects have tied the women up. In the third one, the victim was forced sit on her bed while they cleaned out her home. Police have identified one of the two suspects as David Lee (no relation to the Knicks power forward) and say the other is an Asian man, who is 5-foot-5 and 20 to 30 years old. None of the women have been hurt in the robberies. more ›

Exactly 13 years to the day he was acquitted for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman, OJ Simpson was found guilty of all 12 counts stemming from a robbery in a Las Vegas hotel last year. The 12 counts included kidnapping, armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon and should land Simpson in prison for somewhere from 15 years to life. While the proceedings in Las Vegas have certainly been under the radar in comparison to The Trial of the Century, no Simpson trial would be complete without a little bit of theatrics. In between readings of the verdicts, the lights in the court mysteriously went out and as Simpson was finally being led away, his sister fainted inside the courtroom. Aside from Simpson, the only familiar holdover from 1995's verdict was Dominick Dunne, the writer who covered the former trial for Vanity Fair, who in failing health recently told the New York Times that this "would be a fitting way to end." more ›

An attempted robbery turned deadly when a man was shot in Flatbush just on the other side of the door from where his girlfriend and daughter stood waiting for him. Richard Neil was inches away from being let into the building where he was going to visit Sandra Budhai and their five-year-old daughter, Amami. Neil had been repeatedly telling the mugger that he didn't have any money until he finally pushed the attacker away. As Neil attempted to run away, the robber shot him in the torso, killing him. Police say Neil has been arrested four times for involvement with guns and drugs and was carrying marijuana at the time of the robbery, but did not know yet if the attack was drug-related. Neil volunteered three nights a week coaching a basketball team in a local park and lived with his mother a few blocks from the crime. He is survived by two daughters. more ›

It seems to be a bank robbery boom time, but could robbers be targeting another ubiquitous and friendly retail operation? WNBC reports that two Starbucks locations in Manhattan were robbed in the past few weeks. The first robbery was at Broadway and West 98h Street on August 29 at 5:30 a.m., while the second was on Third Avenue at 41st around 8 p.m. this past Sunday. "In both cases, the men walked in, pulled out guns, tied up the employees who were in the store, and then hit the cash registers and safes, police said." Understandably, employees at the Third Avenue location didn't want to talk about the incident. more ›