A date by Peas & Pickles gone horribly wrong, a terrifying scene at the Flatbush Ave. subway, and the umpteenth woman leaves her bag unattended at Macy’s. It’s this week’s police blotter.
Before we get started I’d just like to give a shout out to the lovely men and women of the 84’s Crime Analysis department. They welcome me every Tuesday with smiles and blotter folders. The guy at the 84 front desk … usually less than thrilled to see anyone, but he deals with the public, so I let it go. I had a hard enough time dealing with the public when I worked at a Barnes & Noble. But enough about that, let’s see this week’s perps.
In the three weeks that I’ve been covering the blotter, it has always contained a report on a robbery at the Fulton St. Macy’s. What’s worse is the video cameras are never working at the spots where the crimes occur. An inside job? I think it’s that none of them work, and probably haven’t for eons. They’re more like decorative motifs. This week, a woman left her handbag in the fitting room after she went to get a larger size pair of pants. (She and I differ in that A) I would never have left my bag alone in a fitting room, and B) I would’ve told the officer I was looking for a smaller size.) When she returned, she was shocked to find the bag gone. The report made it a point to say the wallet was missing as well, like the thief would’ve stolen the bag but left the wallet behind as a sign of good will.
Next, a perpetrator defrauded the Fulton St. Capitol One bank: he deposited a fraudulent check for $7,812, then withdrew $7,000 before anyone noticed the check bouncing away.
A terrifying scene at the subway station on Flatbush and Dekalb. Defendant Wendell Rodriguez entered the station with a gravity knife on his belt, arousing the suspicion of Officer Javonero. The officer asked Rodriguez for the knife and ID, which caused Rodriguez to yell and a crowd to gather. Officer Javonero then tried to handcuff Rodriguez, but the defendant hit him in the face with an umbrella and spit at him. Officer Javonero was able to wrestle him to the ground, causing Rodriguez to hit his head. Rodriguez then announced he was HIV positive, spit blood in the face of Officer Javonero and Officers Ardino and Ozuk who arrived as backup, and also tried to bite Officer Javonero. They were eventually able to handcuff and arrest the defendant.
The Court Street Duane Reade has been the scene of repeated thefts—the most recent occurred Saturday at approximately 8:20 a.m. A worker reported that the same man arrives at the same time each week and steals from the same part of the pharmacy department. What’s interesting, besides the fact that he comes like clockwork and never gets caught—is that he doesn’t steal drugs but instead takes glucose test strips, the kind diabetics use to test their blood sugar. Is there a reason for stealing these? Other than the perp is a diabetic who can’t afford test strips? Anyone with insight please explain, I’m at a loss.
A date went horribly wrong on Friday night outside the Peas & Pickles on Front Street. The victim stated that an acquaintance picked her up in his Toyota convertible, then began groping her. When she resisted, he twisted her arm behind her back and threatened her if she went to the police. The victim managed to get out of the car, but the perp grabbed her bag, threw it in his trunk and drove off. He’s described as a Hispanic male about 32 years of age, with a mustache and cross tattoo on his arm.
Finally, vet your potential roomies: a woman on 150 Nevins St. reported that her roommate stole her 32-inch LCD flatscreen TV and disappeared into the night.
