Crime Watch

HANDBAG THEFT AFTER DINNER A 29-year-old woman was having a late-night meal at a restaurant on Second Avenue on Jan. 21. She left her handbag on her chair to go pay the bill. When she came back, she noticed her $1,200 designer bag was missing, and after searching thoroughly, determined that it must have been stolen. Her credit cards, which she promptly canceled, her MetroCard and $200 cellphone were also stolen, as well as a pair of $400 designer sunglasses. None of the items has been recovered as of yet, but the restaurant does have security cameras with footage available. THEFT ON 88TH STREET At 3 a.m. on Jan. 22, a 22-year-old man was walking home on the Upper East Side. On East 88th Street, he told police, three young black males approached him. One of them allegedly said, "Give me your wallet, do you have any money?" Another punched the victim in the face, while the third one kicked him. Then, one of the men went through the victim's pockets and took his cellphone and wallet. One perpetrator told him to count backward from 1,000, and not to look back because "we know where you live," and his partner in crime told the victim, "We can shoot you right now." The assailants then fled on foot. Police searched the area, but no one was found, and no arrests have been made. MAN HIT BY WOMAN WIELDING CANE A 46-year-old man was on an MTA bus on Jan. 21 during evening rush hour when he saw a woman in front of him attempt to hit a child with her cane. The man tried to restrain the woman, who then turned around and struck him in the left eye with her cane. A nearby witness, a 48-year-old man from the Bronx, confirmed these events. The 66-year-old woman was arrested for assault, but at most, she will be charged with a misdemeanor. EX-BOYFRIEND MAKES TROUBLE On Jan. 20, a 21-year-old woman was returning home to her apartment on East 89th Street when she was approached by her ex-boyfriend. She told police he then proceeded to slap her and drag her down the building stairs. The young woman did not suffer any injuries, but her cellphone was damaged. Police are still on the lookout for the assailant, a 30-year-old Hispanic male, 5'8", who was wearing a black jacket and jeans at the time of the attack. PHONE SCAM SNAGS TWO MORE VICTIMS In what is starting to emerge as a pattern of scams targeting elderly people, an 89-year-old man and 64-year-old female reported getting a phone call from an unknown person on Jan. 17 in their apartment on East 76th Street. The caller claimed to be their granddaughter, saying she had been arrested in North Carolina. The caller instructed the couple to wire $14,700 for bail in California. The victims sent over the money, and soon after, received another call asking for an additional $3,950. At this point, they called their granddaughter, who said that she had actually not been arrested. In total, they were swindled out of over $18,000. CELLPHONE SNATCHER On Jan. 17, a 33-year-old woman was walking on Lexington Avenue and East 95th Street, when an unknown woman approached her and started yelling at her in Spanish. The perp then grabbed the cellphone out of the woman's hand and fled. She was last seen running eastbound on 95th Street. The woman's iPhone, worth $800, was stolen, and has not been retrieved.