Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo, Commanding Officer of the 84th Precinct, has notified BHB that the Precinct’s Community Council will meet next Tuesday, May 22, at 7 p.m. at St. James’ Cathedral Pavilion, 240 Jay Street (between Cathedral Place and Chapel Street). On the agenda are (1) a presentation on crime prevention on NYC transit (2) the Cop of the Month award (3) a transit police report (4) a community crime report and (5) a Q&A period. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

EMS has transported a 52-year-old man to Bellevue Hospital after an apparent stabbing that occurred at the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library on Cadman Plaza West Tuesday evening. The victim was reportedly stabbed in the neck and abdomen, but the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene. The Daily News reports that the incident occurred during an argument in which a man confronted another over his choice of online viewing material.

Apparently, swiping iPhones from unsuspecting New Yorkers is sooo yesterday. The New York Post reports that Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones have become the du jour choice of NYC muggers. The high-tech noise-canceling headphones cost a risible $300-$500.

The Post says heists have been focused in uptown Manhattan, while in Brooklyn North—which includes Williamsburg—”there have been dozens of Beats heists over the past four months.” Word to the wise: The Heights has not been spared. According to the newspaper, “The thefts are going on even in trendy Brooklyn Heights, where a goon demanded a pair from a teenager after barking, ‘Give me your Beats!’ April 17. After the victim turned them over, he was punched in the face.”

The rapper’s branded headphones have become a status symbol, according to a police source, and are being nabbed from kiddies at an alarming rate since the latest model hit the market at Christmas. They’re typically snatched aboard subways or as teens walk to and from school. “If you are wearing those headphones, you might as well wear a sign that says, ‘Come and rob me,’” an investigator said.

A Brooklyn jury has just returned a verdict of not guilty against George Villanueva on a charge that he murdered 84th Precinct Officer Alain Schaberger last year. Villanueva was, however, convicted on a charge of aggravated manslaughter, and his status as a repeat felony offender may result in a life sentence.

Officer Schaberger fell over the railing at 45 St. Marks Place while assisting in Villanueva’s arrest. At issue was whether Schaberger was deliberately pushed or accidentally fell during a struggle.

NYPD

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

On Open Thread Wednesday March 21, reader Tony alerted us to graffiti spray-painted on the sidewalk in front of 90 Remsen Street and along a wall on Henry Street at Remsen (thankfully, now eradicated), expressing “NYPD Don’t Trust.”

And there’s more… Such vandalism is also prominent on the Henry Street side of Andy’s Chinese on Montague Street. Do you know of other examples of punks marring our beautiful neighborhood—because New York’s Anti-Graffiti Task Force will remove the mess free of charge.

From our research, for commercial properties, graffiti removal is the responsibility of the landlord; and for residential building, the owner or coop board. But under the guise of Mayor Bloomberg, the Anti-Graffiti Task Force will take care of it by calling 311. More info is here.

If it happens to your property and you’d like to tackle removal, here’s a handy tutorial from the National Park Service on how to safely clean spray paint from historic masonry, which stresses, “Removing graffiti as soon as it appears is the key to its elimination—and recurrence.”

A tech-savvy police officer from the 84th Precinct helped catch a thief this afternoon. According to cops, a 32-year-old woman fell prey to an armed robber at the High Street station just before 1:20 P.M. The suspect fled with the victim’s pocketbook and iPhone. The victim quickly found an officer stationed on Pearl Street and reported the incident. Officer Benito Ocasio, honored as a Cop of the Month in 2009, suggested that he might be able to track the phone using the victim’s iTunes account. In doing so, they saw that the phone was then in the vicinity of 111 Bridge St. in the Farragut Houses. Responding there, police found the suspect exiting the building…with a ringing phone. He was stopped, positively identified by the victim, and taken into custody. The victim’s property, including credit cards and state ID, was recovered. Police have identified the suspect as Brian Mack, 55. He now faces charges of robbery, grand larceny, menacing, possession of a weapon, and criminal trespass.

The 84th Precinct Community Council will meet this coming Tuesday, March 20, starting at 7:00 p.m., at the Hopkins Center, 155 Dean Street (between Hoyt and Bond streets), in Boerum Hill. On the agenda are: a special guest presentation by the NYPD Gang Division; presentation of the Cop of the Month award; a Transit Police report; a precinct crime report; and a question and answer period. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

A man was assaulted with a knife and his assailant taken into custody shortly after 1:00 this morning at reBar, 147 Front Street, near Jay Streeet in DUMBO. The 25-year-old victim, whose left foot was bandaged, reportedly called 911 to report that he had been stabbed, while others held the perpetrator until police arrived. Detectives from the 84th Precinct took the suspect into custody. The victim was transported to Kings County Hospital in stable condition.

It is unclear what sparked the incident. Updates will be posted as they become available.

Suspect in custody at the scene. Photo by M. Hermann/BHB

BHB follower Vanessa shares that she noticed a vehicle on State Street between Sydney Place and Henry Street jacked up on cinder blocks with all four tires removed. Is this a case of theft (call 911!) or a resident confusing the Heights with the Alabama backwoods (call 311!)?

(Photo is not of the actual car on State)

A reader let us know that this past Saturday at about 9:55 p.m. he was mugged while walking on Joralemon Street between Clinton and Sidney Place. Two men, who appeared to be in their twenties, one wearing a camouflage coat and the other a dark sweater and baseball cap, overtook him on the sidewalk, then turned, forced him against the wall of the Medical Arts Building, and demanded his wallet and cell phone or they would shoot him. He did not see a gun, but quickly gave them his possessions. He added:

I say all of that to encourage fellow readers to remain vigilant even when it isn’t too late at night. At the time I was mugged, I was texting on my iPhone and regret attracting the assailants’ attention. I also encourage readers to keep on the lookout for anyone who may be in the midst of a mugging – I wish that a pedestrian had realized what was taking place and contacted the police immediately. Instead, an onlooker approached me afterwards to ask, “Were you being mugged?” Indeed I was, as are most people who are being screamed at to hand over their wallet or else having a “f***ing bullet put in” them.

The 84th Precinct Community Council will meet this coming Tuesday, February 21, starting at 7:00 p.m., at the St. James Cathedral Pavillion, 240 Jay Street, between Cathedral Place and Chapel Street, in Concord Village. On agenda are: a special guest presentation on the topic, “Common Ground Homeless Solutions”; presentation of the Cop of the Month award; a Transit Police report; a precinct crime report; and a question and answer period. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

State Senator Daniel Squadron is co-sponsoring, along with Assemblyman Brian Kavanagh, a bill in the state legislature that would increase the power of police to bring charges in cases where it is believed that careless driving has caused injury or death.

The legislators introduced VTL 1146 after the tragic deaths of Hayley Ng, 4, and Diego Martinez, 3, who were killed in 2009 in Chinatown when a delivery van that was left in reverse jumped the curb and hit the children. The law became effective in October 2010 and imposes stiffer penalties on drivers whose failure to exercise due care results in the injury or death of pedestrians or bicyclists. The penalties for the first offense include a $750 fine, 15 days of jail time, participation in a driver safety course, suspension or revocation of the driver’s license or registration, or any combination of these penalties, and a misdemeanor charge on a second offense.

However, police officers in some jurisdictions believe that the law does not permit them to issue a VTL 1146 violation unless they personally witness the accident. This drastically limits the ability of an officer to issue a violation in accidents that are clearly the result of careless driving. The new Squadron-Kavanagh legislation – S6416 / A9219 – makes the authority to enforce the law explicit, even if the officer was not present at the time of the crash, as long as the officer has reasonable cause to believe the violation was committed by the driver.

Meanwhile, reader “Boop” has given us (see this week’s OTW) a harrowing description of careless driving in our own neighborhood, in which, thanks to her quick response, tragedy was narrowly averted. Tuesday morning, she tells us, she was at the intersection of Pineapple and Henry when a woman driving a grey Audi Q7, who was looking down (texting?) and not at the road as she crossed the intersection, nearly struck a blind man whom Boop, who is in the late stages of pregnancy, was able to pull out of the way. Gothamist also has a piece on this issue.

We hate to say “we told you so,” but we told you so. The Notorious Busted Chef, Dan Kaufman, is up to his conning ways again. Gawker reports today that Kaufman was busted last month in Montauk by NYPD detectives:

Read BHB’s original coverage of the Busted Chef saga now.

Gawker: Kaufman was arrested by NYPD detectives late last month in Montauk, N.Y. He’s accused of defrauding a New York mobile advertising startup called CloudMob Media, which he had conned into hiring him as its chief technology officer, out of $20,000. He allegedly used the money to rent a beach house in Montauk, where he spent much of last summer and fall regaling a sophisticated social circle of New Yorkers—including the editor of this very website—with a never-ending cascade of extravagant lies. He relentlessly trawled the free dating site OkCupid, duping untold numbers of women (I spoke to three; their experiences suggest dozens more) into dating him. And he did it all while busily working to launch a new social network that would bring credibility and trust back the internet.

BHB contributor weegee alerts us, via Open Thread Wednesday, of an armed robbery that, according to Gothamist, took place at 114 Remsen Street yesterday at 2:14 p.m. The robbers fled in a vehicle that was stopped by police on the BQE. The robbers are in custody and a gun was taken.

There will be a meeting of the 84th Precinct community Council this Tuesday evening, January 17, starting at 7:00, at Borough Hall, entrance at 209 Joralemon Street (between Court and Adams streets). All are invited, and refreshments will be served. The agenda includes a presentation by the New York Peace Institute on mediation, the Cop of the Year award, a precinct crime report, a transit police report, and time for questions and answers.

Karl Junkersfeld surveys the scene of last night’s shooting on Willow Street. Watch after the jump.
Video updated at 12:47 pm 1/1/12 with correct address of incident.

Returning from the airport tonight at around 2am, I snapped a few photos of the scene of the New Year’s Eve shooting on Willow and Clark Street. Police were on hand gathering evidence.

NYPD is operating on Willow St. near Clark St., where a vehicle has crashed on the sidewalk. An occupant of the vehicle was found to have been shot, with a suspect fleeing toward the Promenade. Officers have a suspect in custody on Columbia Heights.

UPDATE: The victim was shot once to the neck, and is being transported to Lutheran Medical Center.

1/1/12 UPDATE: The victim, 43, is listed in stable condition at LMC. The suspect, 19, is in custody with charges pending.

The Radio Shack at 110 Montague Street was robbed of $7K in electronics on December 22. The Brooklyn Paper reports that 3 armed thugs – two with guns another brandishing a knife – burst into the store at 9:40 pm. The perps locked the store’s clerk in the basement and fled the scene.

Radio Shack, while the subject of ridicule seems to be a favorite target of thieves. Case in point – the Montague Street store was also held up last year.

D.I. Mark DiPaolo, 84th Precinct Commander, sends us word that the 84th Precinct Community Council will meet this Tuesday evening, November 15, starting at 7:00, at the Baptist Temple, 360 Schermerhorn Street, between Third Avenue and Nevins Street. The featured event will be a report by the Truck Enforcement Unit. Also on the agenda are a Transit Police report, a precinct crime report, presentation of the Cop of the Month Award, and a question and answer period. All are welcome, and refreshments will be served.

A Range Rover sits forlornly, bereft of left wheels and propped up on a partially collapsed plastic milk crate, on Pierrepont Place, between Montague and Pierrepont Streets, this morning. We don’t know if this is the work of the same crooks who, over the weekend, took the wheels from a Honda CR-V parked on Henry Street between Joralemon and State streets, as reported in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, also in this week’s Brooklyn Heights Press (p.5), but it’s the same modus operandi, down to the lug nuts neatly clustered on the pavement.

As we search for our next Police Blotter reporter, this crazy crime news comes to us from the Brooklyn Paper:

A man fought off two knife-wielding thugs who tried to steal his iPhone on Hicks Street on Oct. 24.

The fearless would-be victim said that he was near Pineapple Street at 10 pm when one of the men held a knife to his throat and asked for his cellphone.

He responded by punching that thief in the face, prompting both men to run off.

And another (alleged) sub-human robbed another iPhone on Willow Place:

Police arrested a man who allegedly stole an iPhone at gunpoint on Willow Place on Oct. 28. The victim said he was between Joralemon and State streets at 10:45 pm when he was robbed by a gun-toting thug. Police recovered a device, and the victim said it was his missing cellphone.

Is an iPhone really a hold up at gunpoint item? Has the cult of Steve Jobs totally infected the underworld as well?

Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo has announced that the next meeting of the 84th Precinct Community Council will be at St. James Pavilion in Concord Village, 240 Jay Street (between Cathedral Place and Chapel Street), starting at 7:00 p.m. this coming Tuesday, October 18. The special guest at this meeting will be the precinct’s domestic violence officer. Also on the agenda are the Cop of the Month award, a transit police report, the precinct crime report, and a question-and-answer session in which all may participate. All are invited, and refreshments will be served.

If you would like to receive the 84th’s Community Alert e-mails, please call P.O. John Kenny at (718) 875-6363 and give him your e-mail address.

Yes, folks it’s not shocking that there are freaks, misfits and malcontents out on the streets of New York City. One BHB reader writes us to warn of those lurking right here in Brooklyn Heights:

I live on Columbia Pl. On the way home [Friday] evening (morning) about 2:15am my friend and I were assaulted on State St between Henry and Hicks. We successfully fought him off. White Male 18-25yrs 5′ 8-10″. He kept shouting “you think you’re funny” until we got the upper hand when he started repeating “we’re friends! we’re friends!” he ran away north on Hicks. We did not call the police as we were unharmed.

Photo: WABC-TV

An NYPD officer fired off a shot, the paper says, when he “pounded its butt on the roof of the stolen car as the driver put it in reverse and tried to mow him down.” The errant bullet entered a nearby apartment, nearly striking a mother and child.

NY Daily News: Schoolteacher Holly Morrison, 31, said she was holding her 4-month-old daughter, Pippa, on her lap in her second-floor Atlantic Ave. apartment when the bullet whizzed through the window.

“I was sitting on the couch with other moms and their babies when a bullet came through the window, above my head,” Morrison told the Daily News.

“He could have killed us,” she said of the cop who let loose the round. “Two feet lower and it would have killed me.”

Police are at 374 Fulton Street, near Smith Street, where a person has reportedly been stabbed. A suspect is in custody, and units are searching the storm drains for a possible weapon. No word on the victim’s condition.

Dean St. was hit bad; Conway’s was, too; and Planet Fitness. It’s this week’s police blotter.

A tough week for Dean St. residents, as three incidents took place on the same block on August 29th. The first was near Hoyt St., where the thieves snagged a keyboard and Kindle. Twenty minutes later, they stole the next-door neighbor’s purse and umbrella, and finally another neighbor’s satellite radio before being arrested on the scene.

Also on Dean St., a 28-year-old woman reported a cell phone snatched from her hand near Boerum Place.

A 30-year-old parked his car and left it unlocked on Washington St., then returned to find his iPod, iPad and MacBook stolen.

Conway’s on Fulton St. was also the site of multiple incidents on Wednesday—the first was around 1:30 p.m., where thugs stole a pile of clothes and then threatened a security guard with a razor blade. Four hours later, a 26-year-old shopper reported her debit card and driver’s license stolen from her bag. Conway’s—you may save on clothes, but you’ll pay in DMV fees.

Planet Fitness

Finally, in an incident similar to last week’s Taylor Swift ticket heist, a thief was in the right place at the right time on Montague St., as he was able to sign for a FedEx package before it got to the doorman, and made off with a $1,650 Dell laptop. And that’s this week’s blotter.

You’ve seen the steady stream of reports of thefts from health club lockers, especially at Planet Fitness, in Heather Quinlan’s weekly 84th Precinct Police Blotter. Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo, Commander of the 84th, has taken note of the problem, and offers this sage advice:

As part of our community alert Email System , the 84th precinct likes to keep our community aware of the types of crimes that are prevalent in our community as well as the New York City as a whole. Unfortunately some of the criminals in our city seem to like utilize the privacy(no video cameras) of gym/spa locker rooms to their advantage.

There have been scenerios where combination locks have been cut and removed or hacked open with no damage to combination lock.Sometimes all property removed and others maybe just a credit card removed giving the thief time to utilize the card until its discovery. As technology advances so does information via the internet making these crimes easy enough for common criminals.So in an effort to educate Our community to become more proactive against these crimes below are some listed preventive tips;

Never leave your property UNATTENDED on gym equipment or unlocked gym locker,even for a moment.

DO not carry high value portable items such as credit cards, jewelry,cell phones,etc.to gym whenever possible. Leave it safe and secure locked up at home or your workplace.

When Unavoidable, ask gym personnel if they have private mini lockers that are usually placed by membership counter under constant video surveillance.

If not available make the recommendation to health club manager or call their corporate telephone number to have them installed.

Try and Utilize a high quality Keyed lock & put key on a chain around ur neck. Combination locks seem to be more easily hacked open.

Whenever you see someone acting suspicious in locker room, bring it to the attention of health club staff/manager. Do not ignore it, security is everyones responsibility. Note physical characteristics,clothing descriptions,and manerisms of suspicious persons.

Try not to bring your bicycle to gyms and lock it outside. Theives know that usually when you enter the gym they will have sufficient amount of time to attempt to steal your bicycle.

Always double check that your locker is properly secured, before walking away.

Never leave locker open or unnattended while taking shower or using the restroom.

Be wary of health clubs that do not check membership/guest identification regularly as they enter health club.

Always report stolen property to health club staff and the police immediately. If property contained credit cards have them cancelled as soon as possible and notify credit agencies listed below to minimize Identity theft.

Equifax www.equifax.com 1-800-685-1111
Experian www.experian.com 1-888-397-3742
Trans-union www.tuc.com 1-800-916-8800

As the Police Dept.does a better job of making health clubs safer, members of our community are reminded that gym lockers are not intended to secure high value items.Please be proactive in taking steps to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

If you would like to receive 84th Precinct E-Mail Alerts, please call the 84th Precinct’s Crime Prevention Officer, P.O. John Kenny, at (718) 875-6363, and give him your e-mail address.

Planet Fitness, a HUGE robbery, and someone really wanted Taylor Swift tickets. It’s this week’s police blotter.

Everyone’s favorite planet, Planet Fitness, was the site of two reported incidents involving lockers and stolen things. The first took place Wednesday morning, and can be summed up thusly: I locked up my s***, and now it’s gone. The second incident occurred two days later and can be summed up thusly: I thought I could leave $1,300 in my Planet Fitness locker. I was wrong.

Monday on Warren St.: A 22-year-old Warren St. resident hired No Flood 4 Me to clean up damage to his basement. They apparently really cleaned up the joint, taking his MacBook Pro in the process. Police are investigating.

The design company known as HUGE in DUMBO (HAH) was the site of a second break in; the first occurred in May, when 15 laptops totaling $30,000 were stolen. This was four laptops totaling $5,996.

Last Friday evening, a 15-year-old girl tried to shoplift items from Atlantis on Jay St.; she was pointed out to the A/O (reportspeak for Arresting Officer) who tried to arrest her, though she bit him before he could get the cuffs on. The girl was eventually subdued and charged with assault. The officer was taken to Methodist Hospital.

According to the police report, a 19-year-old visiting family on Sands St. was standing outside when suddenly “he felt pain.” I’ll believe that, as the report went on to say he was shot in the thigh, with the bullet exiting through his scrotum.

At the Allen School on Montague St. a victim reported that she left a package in the hall for UPS to pick up, but instead it was stolen by a perp who may or may not have been a Taylor Swift fan. The contents of the package included Taylor Swift concert tickets, baseball equipment, a new pair of Nikes, and what is described in the report as “Hotel stay 2 nights with New York T.S.” valued at $600. Could the T.S. be Taylor Swift, and is this what she charges to stay two nights with her in a hotel room? My guess is probably not, though indulge me, I’m usually stuck reporting on Planet Fitness thefts and iPhone snatchings. Speaking of which …

An iPhone was stolen from a 33-year-old woman on a southbound G train.

On State and Nevins Tuesday morning, a perp climbed through a woman’s front window and stole her BlackBerry. Across the street four days later, a man stated he went to sleep around 2:30 a.m. and when he woke up only a couple hours later, both of his laptops were gone. His living room window was open and flower pot moved from the windowsill.

Finally, a report that I can only describe as having more going on than is written down. Do you agree? You make the call, this is pretty much verbatim what it says:
“While leaving HSBC with $10,000 in a Met Food plastic bag, a 20-year-old man (hereafter known as Victim #1) was approached by a 6’2″ male (hereafter known as Perp #1) who was wearing a blue sweatsuit and blue Kangol hat. The victim stated that he was approached by Perp #1 as he was about to enter his boss’s SUV, and the perp put a small black gun to his rib cage and told him ‘Get in the car.’” Victim #1 states that Perp #1 joined him in the front passenger seat and told him, ‘Give me the money.’ Perp #2 entered from driver’s side rear seat and put a gun to the head of Victim #2. Victim #1 stated that he gave Perp #1 $9,000 that was in the bag. Perp #2 took it and ran out of the vehicle westbound on State St. Perp #1 told Victim #1 to get out and walk with him to 3rd Ave. He kept the gun pressed to his ribcage as they walked and told him he would shoot him. When they reached 3rd Ave., he told the victim ‘Turn around and don’t look back or I will shoot you,’ before taking off.” And that’s this week’s blotter.