Here’s The Local’s latest installment of “Police And Thieves,” your weekly roundup of crime. What follows are the latest reports from Feb. 12 to Feb. 19, sorted by the type of incident. Our map of all of crime since Jan. 15 is at bottom.

Assault

• A early-morning brawl on East Fourth Street resulted in a man being clobbered with an aluminum baseball bat on Feb. 18. The 22-year-old victim told the police he got in an argument with the suspect on East Fourth Street between First and Second Avenues at around 5 a.m., after which the suspect punched him in the face and clocked him with the bat, causing swelling to his face and a cut.

Robberies

• A 21-year-old told the police he was on Third Avenue between 10th and 11th Streets at around 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 when he was blindsided and knocked out. When he came to, his wallet and watch were missing.
• A man was clobbered with a rock in the hallway of the Jacob Riis Houses on Feb. 19. The 39-year-old victim said he was in a building on Avenue D near East Seventh Street at around 1:15 a.m. when two men struck him and stole his cellphone and wallet. The victim would not cooperate further with the police.
• A thief confronted a man in a playground of the Jacob Riis Houses on Feb. 18 and stole a whopping $2,300 from him. The 30-year-old told the police he was crossing through the playground on FDR Drive near East 14th Street at around 4:45 a.m. when the suspect punched him in the face and demanded money. The victim said he handed over $40, but the suspect demanded more. The victim then fled into the lobby of a nearby building, where the two wrestled. The suspect — who is said to have brandished a glass bottle — eventually gained the upper hand and stole the wad of cash from the victim’s pocket. Read more…

The police say this is the gun that Luis Martinez fired at two police officers early this morning. N.Y.P.D.

If you were wondering why those helicopters were hovering around the neighborhood early this morning here’s your answer: two police officers narrowly avoided being shot while chasing a man down Columbia Street into the Baruch Houses.

The police said that 25-year-old Luis Martinez opened fire on Officers Thomas Richards and Thomas Dunne at around 1:45 a.m. as the pair approached him on Columbia Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets. One of the shots struck Officer Richards’s spare ammunition magazine holstered to his gun belt, just missing his abdomen.

“It was a very close call for Officer Richards,” Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said in a statement. “The magazine may have well saved his life.” Read more…

Officers in the Ninth Precinct are looking for these two men, suspected of robbing a woman at gunpoint on East Third Street early Wednesday morning.

The police said that around 1:30 a.m., a 19-year-old woman was walking between Avenues A and B when a man wearing a green hooded jacket, jeans, and tan sneakers grabbed her purse; meanwhile an accomplice wearing a surgical-type mask flashed a gun and removed her iPhone. The suspects, both of whom are thought to be in their early 20s, fled toward Avenue A.

As always, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-8477 if you have any information.

With this post, The Local concludes its recap of the past month of crime within the Ninth Precinct. We started with beat-downs, brawls, and blades, then continued on to burgled businesses and stolen rides. After that: Robberies and cell-phone snatches. And now: Purse pinches and bag snags. Plus: Click on our crime map, which will be constantly updated and can always be found on the right-hand column of The Local’s homepage.

View Crime Report in a larger map

• A club-goer left Nublu with the blues on Jan. 21. A thief swiped a bag containing a laptop and jewelry that the victim had left unattended in the club between East Fourth and Fifth Streets at around 2 a.m.
• A quick-handed thief snatched a woman’s bag on Jan. 14. The 49-year-old victim said she was inside her building on East Fourth Street between Avenues C and Dat around 4 p.m. when she placed her bag (containing $2,281-worth of items) on the ground. That’s when the thief made his move and fled towards East River Park.
• A thief snatched a man’s bag on Jan. 16. The 25-year-old victim said that he had placed his bag down at around 10 p.m. at Avenue B and East Seventh Street when the thief grabbed his bag and ran into Tompkins Square Park. The bag contained a laptop, camera and sunglasses worth $2,281.
• A not-so-sweet thief snatched a woman’s bag from Jane’s Sweet Buns on Jan. 16. The victim told police that she set her bag down by the front door of the store on St. Marks Place between First Avenue and Avenue A at around 3 p.m. and went downstairs to work. When she returned the bag, containing an assortment of credit cards, was gone.

Read more…

Today, we’re looking back on the past month of crime within the Ninth Precinct. Earlier it was beat-downs, brawls, and blades. Then: Burgled businesses and stolen rides. And now: Robberies and cell-phone snatches. 

Daniel Maurer Metro PCS on Jan. 6

• At last, the incriminating words uttered by the man who twice robbed a Metro PCS store on 14th Street have been revealed. An employee at the store between First and Second Avenues told police that when the suspect showed up on Jan. 20, he said, “Give me the money, I was here before,” and simulated a gun. The man then told the victim to go downstairs into the basement, and he made a run for it.
• Three perps pushed a woman down and snatched her shopping bag on Jan. 22. The victim told police she was at Second Avenue and East Ninth Street at around 8:30 p.m. when she was shoved and robbed.
• An attempt to hold an iPhone ransom went sour on Feb. 11. The 22-year-old victim told the police that when she realized her phone was missing she called it at around 2:30 a.m. and was told she could have it back for $150. The suspect instructed her to meet him at East First Street and Avenue A. When they made their rendezvous an officer pounced from behind, leading to a struggle on the street. The officer eventually arrested a 46-year-old man and recovered the woman’s bag and iPhone.
• A teenager snatched a woman’s phone on Jan. 24. The 26-year-old victim told the police she was on East Seventh Street between Second and Third Avenues at around 10 p.m. when the suspect put her arm around her neck, covered her eyes and grabbed the phone. Police are on the hunt for a 17-year-old woman.

Read more…

Today, we’re looking back on the past month of crime within the Ninth Precinct. Earlier it was beat-downs, brawls, and blades. Now: Burgled businesses and stolen rides.

Daniel Maurer A burglar struck Angels and Kings on
Jan. 16.
• A burglar struck Angels and Kings on East 11th Street on Jan. 16. An employee told the police that as he left his apartment in the morning he noticed the gate of the bar near Avenue A was lifted up and the cash registers were empty.
• A burglar snatched a 46-inch television from the Haven Plaza community center on Jan. 22. An employee told police that she arrived for work at the center near Avenue C and East 12th Street and noticed the padlock to an entrance on the floor. Another door was locked from the inside, and the television was missing from its mount on a wall.
• Someone stole $300 from Baohaus on Jan. 23. An employee of the restaurant on East 14th Street between Second and Third Avenues told the police that the bandit must have entered through a rear bathroom window, which had a broken lock from apparently being forced open.

Read more…

Last month, The Local unveiled its inaugural weekly police blotter. Subsequent changes at the Ninth Precinct caused delays, so today we’re playing catch-up and presenting the past month in crime, in four handy installments. First up: Brawls, beat-downs and blades.

• Four teenagers are accused of beating up a 50-year-old man as he was parking his car on Sept. 14. The victim told the police — on Feb. 7 — that he was parking near Avenue D and East Seventh Street at around 1:30 a.m. when the four perps picked a fight. He said that one slapped the hood of his car with a t-shirt, and when he got out of the vehicle they pounced, punching him and causing multiple fractures in his face.
• A man is accused of stabbing another reveler at a rowdy party on Feb. 1. The police said that they entered the building on East Seventh Street between Second and Third Avenues at around 1:05 a.m. after receiving three noise complaints about the bash. When they arrived they came upon a 24-year-old in the hallway of the fourth floor shirtless and bleeding from a finger. Cops arrested both the victim and the alleged slicer.
• A brawl on Broadway resulted in an 18-year-old man and two 19-year-olds being arrested on Feb. 7. The 48-year-old victim told police that three teenagers tried to rob him near East Fourth Street at around 5:48 p.m. and that he resisted, resulting in the youngsters hitting him with two metal ladders and a chair.

Read more…

Generic garbage truck shot.

An opportunistic garbage collector swiped an iPad from a closed restaurant this morning after being let in to use the bathroom, the police said.

A spokesman for the police department said that the sanitation worker, Michael Maldonado, was on duty at around 11:40 a.m. when he asked the owner of a restaurant if he could use the bathroom. After the owner of the undisclosed eatery let the 38-year-old Mr. Maldonado in, police said he swiped an iPad and then went back to work. Read more…

One of the gun-toting thieves who allegedly held up a Metro PCS store on Jan. 6 had the audacity to return and rob it again two weeks later, the police said.

In the first heist on Jan. 6 — which is depicted in surveillance footage released by the Police Department — the duo entered the Metro PCS store at 350 East 14th Street at around 6:45 p.m., flashed a gun and removed cash from the register and a safe.

On Jan. 20 one of the suspects returned at around 7:10 p.m., simulated a gun and demanded cash from a Metro PCS employee, the police said. The employee complied and the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of money. Read more…

N.Y.P.D. A surveillance image of the suspect.

The police are on the hunt for a man who allegedly robbed an Apple Bank on Feb. 1.

The police said that the man walked into the bank at Irving Place and East 14th Street at around noon and passed a note to the teller demanding money. The bank employee complied and the suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The suspect is said to be around 55 to 60 years old, around 5-foot-8 and roughly 150 pounds. Judging by the surveillance image, he is also a Mets fan.

Daniel Maurer Police outside of the store on Jan. 6.

A cell phone store on East 14^th Street near First Avenue was robbed again last night, two weeks after a pair of men held it up at gunpoint.

A police officer was seen dusting for prints inside of the Metro PCS store at 350 East 14th Street last night. The police said that shortly before 7:10 p.m., a black man wearing all-black clothing walked into the store, demanded money while keeping a hand in his pocket, and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No further details could be revealed because the investigation is ongoing.

Two weeks ago (also on a Friday evening) two men entered the same store, flashed a gun, and left with around $4,000. The police released surveillance camera footage of that incident.

Police are searching for a suspect who locked a local woman in her bathroom while he ransacked her apartment on Jan. 16.

The 31-year-old victim told police that the suspect got in the elevator with her, followed her, and then forced his way into her apartment. He then locked her in the bathroom while searching in vain for valuables in the bedroom. The victim screamed for help, perhaps leading to the suspect leaving empty-handed.

The suspect is described as a white or Hispanic man in his 20s with brown eyes who was last seen wearing a long jacket, hooded sweatshirt, dark jeans and black-rim glasses.

The Local will now offer weekly roundups of notable crimes within the confines of the Ninth Precinct, which covers the East Village. In addition to possible gunshots at Lillian Wald Houses on Friday, here’s who fought the law in recent days.

New Year’s Mayhem
A knife-wielding thief from New Jersey took cash from a New Year’s reveler mere hours after the ball dropped.

The victim told the police that a trio approached at the corner of East Fourth Street and Avenue A at around 1:40 a.m. and said, “Happy New Year. Let me see your wallet.” The victim then tried to walk away, and the suspect reiterated his demand and flashed a blade while his cohorts looked on. The victim handed over $50 and the group left. About 20 minutes later, the police arrested Dion Watson and charged him with robbery, possession of a deadly weapon and possession of stolen property. His alleged cohorts, Krishard Jones and a 17-year-old girl, were also charged with robbery.

Trouble at the Tavern
A thief chatted up a bar-goer on Jan. 7 at the Village Tavern and then forced him to hand over $200.

The victim told the police that the suspect kept chewing the fat with him in the bar on Avenue C at East 10th Street. At around 2:15 a.m. the suspect reached into the victim’s pocket, took his cellphone and wallet and said, “You’re not getting this back unless you give me money.” The suspect then forced the victim to go to an ATM and withdraw $200. About 30 minutes later, the police arrested Adam J. Soto, a 31-year-old resident of Campos Plaza, and charged him with robbery in the third degree and grand larceny. Read more…