RUSSIAN ROULETTE
A gunman knocked off a Fulton Street newsstand on May 20, nabbing cash and lotto tickets.
The victim told police he was manning the counter between William and Gold streets at 7:53 pm, when the armed robber appeared wielding a silver pistol and cracked him on the side of the head.
The thief took $3,000 and a stock of lotto tickets as loot, before fleeing towards the Hudson River on Fulton Street, cops said.
SCOOTER SHAKEDOWN
A scooter-driving con fooled a man into believing he was a cop, and ripped him off to the tune of $200 on Pearl Street on May 19.
The victim told police he was behind the wheel of his car near Frankfort Street at noon, when the scooter-mounted trickster yelped out that he was nearly hit by the victim, and waved the man to the curb.
Once stopped, the swindler approached the victim claiming he was an off duty police officer, and that the victim could either pony up cash on the spot or take a trip downtown, cops said.
HARD DAY’S WORK
A thief ripped of an employee of a Pine Street diner on May 16.
The victim told police he was hard at work inside the Mediterranean eatery between Water and Pearl streets at 3:13 pm, when the crook nabbed his valuables, including a $1,800 laptop and $700 iPad.
DECLINED!
A woman caught two thieves in the act as they attempted to use her credit cards for an illicit spending spree on Liberty Street on May 17.
The victim told police that she was eating at a restaurant near West Street at 5:12 pm, when she received a text alert from her bank notifying her of suspicious activity on her card. The woman then checked her purse, which she’d had under the bar as she dined, to find her credit cards were missing.
As turned out, the crooks who had just stolen her cards, were at a different store in same building, her bank told her, and she ran to the other retailer and shouted, “Someone is using my card!”
At that, the crooks revealed themselves by suddenly fleeing, and the victim was able to cancel the illicit transaction and her cards before any serious harm was done, cops said.
WORKPLACE RIVALRY
Cops arrested a worker at a Hudson Street diner for allegedly beating a colleague — with a squeegee — on May 18.
The victim told police that he was arguing with the suspect inside the eatery between Canal and Spring streets at 10:14 am, when the man suddenly shoved him to the ground and whacked him with the metal cleaning instrument.
— Colin Mixson
