Man shot by BB gun
A would-be FiDi robber shot his victim in the leg with a BB gun when the man began to shout for help, police said.
The 26-year-old man told police he left his office to get lunch on Tues., May 7 at about 2:10 p.m. and walked beneath the scaffolding on Pearl St. At the corner of Pearl and Platt Sts., he was approached by a man wearing a blue sweatshirt who stepped on his foot and said, “Give me your wallet and your phone,” police said. The man said the robber also displayed what looked like a handgun. The victim handed over his wallet but then started shouting for someone to call the police.
The robber backed away, but his erstwhile victim followed him for a few steps. The victim reported that his attacker then shot him once in the right leg with what turned out to be a BB gun and threw the wallet back at him before fleeing the scene.
Police said they recovered a BB gun and knife in the doorway of a loading dock at 111 John St.
Soho bicycle thefts
Two bicycle thefts were reported in the First Precinct last week, according to police. The first theft occurred between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. on Fri., May 3, police said. The owner of the bike, 31, said he had chained it to a bike rack outside of 161 Avenue of the Americas, but when he returned for it two hours later, it was no longer there. The bicycle was a $2,000 Masi Speciale.
Another man reported that his bicycle was stolen from a Soho street on Sat., May 4 between 2 and 3 p.m. The victim, 29, told police that he chained his bike outside 56 MacDougal St. while he went to have brunch at a nearby restaurant. When he finished brunch, his wheels — a red and black, 57 cm Kestrel Talon bicycle — had been taken. The bicycle, made for road riding and triathlon use, was purchased for $1,399.95, with additional accessories worth $155.
Bag grab at Balenciaga
Shoplifters got away with almost $7,000 in merchandise from Balenciaga in a snatch and grab from the Soho boutique.
An employee of the designer store reported to police that two men entered the 138 Wooster St. location at 12:10 p.m. on Sun., May 12 and made off with four bags from the display table. The men, who were both about 6 feet tall and wearing hooded jackets, fled the scene on foot carrying a pink Balenciaga tote bag worth $1,495, a black tote ($1,145), a black mini Papier tote ($1,495) and a silver disc bag ($2,850).
Video of the incident was available, but police have reported no further leads.
Gym locker larceny
A man reported to police that his belongings were stolen from the Equinox gym at 14 Wall St. on Wed., May 8. He put them in a locker at about 8:15 p.m. while he went to work out, but neglected to lock the door.
When he came back to it at about 9:30 p.m., he found that his property had been stolen. He said that when he checked his credit and debit card records, he found that unauthorized purchases had been made on the cards. His bank informed him that four MetroCards had been purchased with his debit card and four with his credit card.
He also lost three lottery tickets, his work ID, and his health insurance card.
— Kaitlyn Meade
