Results tagged “subwaycrime”

According to CityRoom, police believe the same man is behind seven subway robberies since the beginning of the year. After a woman boarded a southbound A train at 207th Street in Inwood on Sunday afternoon: "A man approached her and demanded her property, the authorities said. When she refused, the man struck her, before making off with her bank card at the Dyckman Street station. The woman was cut on the left cheek and had a black eye." The previous incidents, whose victims were four women and two men (the most recent victim was the first to be hurt), occurred on the 1, B and D lines. The suspect is described as "a black man in his early 20s, 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 2 inches tall, with medium build and black hair." Last week, it was reported that a woman was trapped in a high-entrance subway turnstile at a Brooklyn station by a man who threatened and robbed her.

Yikes: The police say that a woman was robbed at the Halsey Street subway station in Brooklyn on May 24. WABC 7 reports, "The woman was reportedly exiting the station at Wycoff Avenue and George Street through the high turnstile exit when a suspect, armed with a screwdriver, grabbed the bars and trapped the woman inside. He then stole the victim's property and fled in an unknown direction." The incident occurred around 1 a.m.

A few more details about subway robberies being slightly up in 2008 compared to 2007. Apparently a third of those subway thefts were for cell phones. WCBS 2 reports, "Police say the easiest marks are the riders near the doors. Thieves time it so that just as the doors are about to close, they make their grab and take off, leaving the victim trapped inside the train, and helpless to do anything about it." One rider was philosophical "You know if [my phone] gets stolen, I'd rather let it get stolen than get stabbed or something like that." And just last summer, a cop told the Daily News, "A kid taking out an iPhone and using it is like waving around $300."

The Post reports that Harlem resident Marie Conde fought off three muggers--chasing down two of them--"because [her purse] had her green card in it." The 26-year-old, who fell asleep on a 3 train this past Sunday when, woke at 5:30 a.m. when "three punks confronted her as it pulled into the 72nd Street station." One punched her in the right eye and another grabbed her purse. Conde said, "I didn't know what to do, so I just started running after them," holding onto one of them and yelling for help. One mugger said, "Leave him alone! He's my friend!" The police managed to arrest two suspects, while the man who grabbed her purse is still at large. A law enforcement source told the Post that crime victims "shouldn't take matters in your own hands like that. It could be very dangerous, and potentially lethal," but did say Conde was brave, "She is one bad-ass mama."

The police are searching for a man who robs subway passengers during their morning commutes. He targets his victims on the subway platform, grabs their purses and then runs into the subway tunnels.