By Lincoln Anderson
Deputy Inspector James McCarthy of the Ninth Precinct is asking for help from both police brass and the public to combat an increase in robberies and burglaries in the East Village precinct.
“I’ve seen a bit of a spike, I’m very concerned with it,” said McCarthy. “In the past two weeks, we’ve been putting more cops out there. I’ve been fortunate enough for the borough [command] to give me more manpower. We’re down in everything else, so the robberies and burglaries concern me.”
McCarthy said Chief Mike Esposito, a former commander of the Ninth Precinct, has authorized him to have officers from the precinct work on their days off until the problem is brought under control.
McCarthy said the burglaries have been in the upper end of the precinct, on 10th, 11th, 12th and 14th Sts., between Avenue A and Second Ave.
“They’re prying open the front doors’ of residences,” McCarthy said. “We arrested one guy who I thought was a very bad guy. He did 14 years [in prison] and was out a month when we locked him up. I thought it was going to stop then. But it’s still going. A lot of it’s happening during the day.”
In many cases, residents have not been locking their top locks, making it easier for robbers to break in past flimsy bottom locks, he said. Extra officers are doing vertical patrols inside buildings looking for people who don’t belong inside.
McCarthy also said that a male-and-female Hispanic robbery team has been hitting the precinct. In store robberies, the man has used a gun, though it’s unknown if it’s operable.
“He did go into one store and the guy hit him over the head numerous times with a baseball bat,” McCarthy said, noting the robber never fired the gun. “Unfortunately, he was able to get up.
“He ran out of that store, ran right to another store. They robbed that store, went a block, saw a delivery guy coming out of a building, and took the opportunity to rob him,” McCarthy said. “They have shown acts of violence. They’re definitely aggressive. Even the female’s aggressive.”
However, McCarthy said the perpetrators in a recent gunpoint robbery of Juicy Lucy’s on Avenue A did not fit the suspects’ descriptions.
He said police are now seeing similar incidents of a male-female Hispanic team pulling robberies on the street, now using a knife, and believe it may be the same pair.
“You don’t see too many male-female teams,” he noted. “So it’s a good possibility it’s them.
The pattern started Jan. 6 and last struck Jan. 30 and the team are believed responsible for at least eight robberies. The only description police have is that they are in their 30s, the woman a bit heavyset.
McCarthy said he’s asking for the community’s help, and that if people see two people matching the above description and feel they’re acting suspiciously, to call the precinct and police will check it out.
Lincoln Anderson
