Crime Watch

Packing Air

A man was arrested for shoplifting merchandise from a store on West Broadway. At 2:15 p.m. on Thursday, October 17, a 55-year-old man was observed removing merchandise from the store without permission. He was arrested and charged with grand larceny, and an air pistol was recovered from his back right pocket. He had stolen sunglasses valued at $1,650.

Porch Snatch

Someone stole a woman's handbag from the porch of a downtown hotel. At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 19, a 55-year-old woman from Van Nuys, California placed her handbag next to her on the table at which she was sitting, on the porch of a Spring Street hotel. An unknown perpetrator grabbed her bag and fled on Dominick Street. Police searched the area but could not find the thief. Video may have captured the incident, and a witness said he has seen the perpetrator in the neighborhood and could identify him. The items stolen were David Yurman earrings valued at $3,500, a Bloomingdale's gift card worth $2,000, $1,000 in cash, a Louis Vuitton wallet priced at $550, a Furla purse priced at $500, and a driver's license and credit card. The total of the handbag haul amounted to $7,550.

Furloined

Two men and a woman shoplifted merchandise from a clothing boutique on Greenwich Street. A 37-year-old female employee at the store reported that at 4:48 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, a 25-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman entered the store and removed property without permission or authorization before fleeing northbound on Greenwich Street. Video is available of the incident. The stolen items were a green Doma fur jacket valued at $940 and a large gold lucky star necklace, costing $240. The total take amounted to $1,180.

Coming Back for More

A woman was arrested after stealing two credit cards from a gym club member's locker. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, October 16, a 30-year-old woman put her bag in the locker of a gym on Reade Street. When she returned to the locker at 6:50 p.m., she noticed that she was missing two credit cards from her wallet. She called her credit card company to cancel the cards and was informed that her card had been used at an apparel store on West Broadway. She then called the store and asked for a description of the person who had used her card. Police officers were taking her report at the gym when the victim saw a 25-year-old woman matching the store's description walking back into the gym. Then the suspect spotted the police in the gym, she turned around to leave and was stopped by one of the officers. Upon questioning, she admitted that she had just come from the apparel store and had used someone else's cards to pay for her purchases. The defendant was found in possession of the victim's two credit cards and the items she had purchased with them. She was arrested and charged with grand larceny.

Vamoosed on Varick

A thief on a bicycle snatched a cell phone from a woman's hand. At 8 p.m. on Sunday, October 20, on the northeast corner of Varick Street and Spring Street, a 40-year-old woman was walking to a concert when an unknown bicyclist zoomed past and grabbed her cell phone out of her hand. It was dark, and she did not get a good look at the robber, who fled northbound on Varick. The woman canceled her cell service and was unsure if tracking software was installed on the phone. The stolen phone was a Samsung Note 3 valued at $798.