Crime Watch

By Sean Creamer Cash Over Easy While most people who enter a bodega early in the morning are looking for an egg sandwich, two crooks were starving for the green, as opposed to eggs and ham. April 2 at 5 a.m., the thugs entered a store on the Upper East Side and while one stood guard, the other went around the counter, brandished a revolver at the clerk and demanded the cash in the register. After taking $500, the two men fled the scene. There have been no arrests so far in the case. Brand Loyalty Can Only Take You So Far Having passion for your job is always a plus, but when your enthusiasm entails trying to stop a criminal who robbed your store, employees may want to leave that to the police. Saturday, March 31 at 12:50 a.m., two males and a female entered a large convenience store on Lexington Avenue and began filling their pockets with gum and deodorant. One employee took notice of the theft and proceeded to follow the perps outside, where he was threatened with a screwdriver. The two men fled the scene and the police detained the woman who was with them. The boys in blue wish to remind citizens that confronting crooks is their job and the best way to help is to get a description and the direction in which the criminal fled. Sidewalk Scuffle A timeless quote from Bambi says: "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all." The writers were not kidding. Saturday, March 31 at 2:55 p.m., two men got into an altercation on 1st Avenue. After a few minutes of quarrelling, one of the men decided to take the argument to the next level and brandished a knife at his nemesis. When the police arrived, there was no knife to be found. Both men were arrested. Letting in Fresh Air and Deft Crooks One lucky cat burglar took advantage of unlocked windows and a fire escape to make off with quite the payday. Thursday, March 29, a thief made his way into four apartments and did not break a single lock or window in the process. The burglar ascended the fire escape of an apartment building on East 73rd Street in the middle of the day and made off with a multitude of electronics, jewelry, sunglasses, iPads and iPods and a slew of diamond necklaces. With the warm weather coming in fast, those with fire escapes outside their window may want to reconsider leaving their windows open to the cool outside air and cunning criminals. Keep Your Bags Close and Valuables Closer When going out to eat or heading to a pub, remember that you are not lounging at home, safe from theft. For the past three months, deft hands have been invading the sanctity of purses and other handbags left on chairs of restaurants and pubs on the Upper East Side. The NYPD at the 21st Precinct wants to remind residents that they should keep close tabs on their belongings, keep their valuables nearby or leave the expensive stuff at home.