Crime Watch

Cleaning Out the Cleaners Two would-be thieves were thwarted by a vigilant eyewitness last Saturday night. A witness saw a man and a woman, one carrying a briefcase, attempt to break into a dry-cleaning shop on East 77th Street around midnight. The witness called 911, and the suspects fled on foot and then jumped into a cab, taking off in an unknown direction. The attempted crime may be part of a pattern of business break-ins in the area. Park Stroll Turns Violent A 43-year-old man was taking a walk in Carl Schurz Park near Gracie Mansion at East 88th Street on Sunday around 9:15 p.m. He told police that four young men approached him, and one grabbed his right hand while several others punched him in the face. One of the attackers shouted "Give it up" and took the man's iPhone. All four suspects fled, and the victim said that he could partially identify one of the boys, who he said looked about 16 years old. Flying Glass Misses Target On Sunday evening, an ordinary situation at a bar turned into a four-victim assault. At around 8:05 p.m. inside a pub on Second Avenue, a man and woman got into an argument. The woman, 29 years old, got so mad that she flung a glass beer bottle at the man-but she missed him. The bottle instead whacked another man in the face, causing a large laceration on his forehead. The glass broke and went flying, and a fragment also sliced into the toe of another woman sitting with the first victim. When the bottle-tosser tried to run away, a bouncer attempted to stop her, and she kneed him in the groin and punched him in the face. Police arrived before she could escape, however, and arrested the woman for felony assault. Sneak Attack A 25-year-old woman was coming home on a recent Sunday morning when she got a terrifying surprise. At 1:47 a.m., the woman was entering the lobby of her building on East 78th Street when a man approached her from behind and grabbed her bag. "Give me your purse," he demanded, but the victim tried to fight him off. He eventually wrestled the purse away and fled down the street with it. The $350 tan leather Marc Jacobs bag contained the woman's $200 iPhone, an iPod Touch and cash as well as her ID and credit cards. Gunpoint Mugging On Saturday afternoon, a 40-year-old man and his 29-year-old female companion were taking a walk on East 95th Street. At 3:55 p.m., they noticed a man crouched down behind a structure on the street. He popped up and showed the couple a black handgun, then said, "Give me all your money." The perp took the woman's purse and the man's cellphone, and told the woman to lie on the ground. He fled on foot in an unknown direction. The perp, who got away with a $2,867 haul, with the Coach purse containing gift cards, a new iPhone 5, Bose headphones and several expensive IDs, is described as a 40-year-old black man, 5'10", 150 pounds.