Sticky badges
An employee swiped $200 from his store’s cash register on June 17, and then made a hair-brained claim that he was investigating tax fraud when he was caught with his hand in the till, police said.
The jig was up for the 40-year-old thief when workers at the store, which is between Avenue P and Quentin Road, saw him remove the money from the register at 5 pm.
But when he was confronted, the man flashed a fake shield, claiming to be an undercover cop looking into allegations of tax fraud at the store.
He was taken into custody on robbery charges when workers learned his story was as bogus as it sounded.
Choked in Mill Basin
A 27-year-old was arrested on June 21 after he choked a female friend and then robbed her of her cell phone.
Police said that the robbery took place at 6 pm inside the woman’s home, which is on East 54th Street between Avenue O and Fillmore Avenue, police said.
Robbed in lobby
Two men held a resident of an Avenue L building up at gunpoint on June 22.
The 31-year-old victim said he had just entered the building, which is between Flatbush Avenue and East 38th Street, at 3:25 am, when two males approached and jammed the business end of a revolver into his stomach.
They then robbed him of his cash and wallet, pistol-whipped him, and escaped.
Robbed on delivery
A thief tried to swipe a delivery truck on June 24, but quickly discovered that the vehicle was too hard to handle.
Officials said the 25-year-old suspect took the truck as it sat on Avenue N, between East 34th and East 35th streets, at 2:50 pm. Its back door opened was opened at the time.
He jumped behind the wheel and sped off, only to clip two people and several parked cars about a block away.
No serious injuries were reported.
Cops took the thief into custody, charging him with robbery.
Stabbed over chain
A man stabbed another man in the neck during a June 24 chain snatch, police said.
The 24-year-old victim said that the suspect approached him on Ralph Avenue, between Foster Avenue and East 78th Street, at 11 pm and asked him about the chain.
The hooligan then stabbed his victim in the neck and ran off, only to be arrested by responding officers.
Robbed of purse
A 28-year-old thug punched a woman in the face and made off with her purse during a heavy-handed confrontation on June 25.
The victim said she was at the corner of Avenue L and East 56th Street at 3 am when the suspect attacked, only to be arrested a short time later.
Stabbed in the shoulder
A 32-year-old was hospitalized following a stabbing on June 24.
The victim said he was nearing the corner of Kings Highway and Flatbush Avenue at 3 am when the stranger attacked, leaving him with a shoulder wound that needed medical attention.
Rim swipe
Two Bergen Beach cars were left resting on their roters last week. Here’s the rundown:
• Someone swiped all four tires from a 2005 Lexus parked at the corner of East 69th Street and Avenue Y in Bergen Beach on June 22. The theft took place sometime after 9:30 pm.
• The owner of a 2010 Nissan Maxima went to his car on June 25 only to find that someone had taken all four tires and rims. The car was sitting near the corner of Royce Street and Avenue N at 6:45 pm when the theft took place, police said.
Pistol-whipped by relative
A 27-year-old man was arrested after he beat a family member with a gun during a violent exchange on June 27.
The victim told police that his relative hit him in the face repeatedly with the gun during an argument inside his Farragut Road home, which is between East 59th Street and Ralph Avenue, at 9:47 pm.
Running with cellphones
A thief ran off with an 18-year-old’s cellphone after a June 14 clash in Marine Park.
The teen said he was on East 38th Street, between Flatbush Avenue and Avenue L, at 10:10 pm when the unidentified thug grabbed him from behind, putting him in choke hold.
“Run your pockets,” the hooligan ordered, but the victim tried to fight the man off, dropping his cellphone in the process.
Taking the path of least resistance, the thug grabbed the phone and ran off, cops were told.
Ave. T hold up
A 45-year-old man was held up — possibly at gunpoint — on June 16 during a quick exchange at the corner of Ryder Street and Avenue T.
Police said that the victim was nearing the corner just after 4 am when a stranger ran up and stuck a hard object in his back.
“Don’t look back,” the thief threatened. “If you look back, you’ll get hurt.”
Needless to say, the victim didn’t look back as the thief made off with his cash, cellphone and briefcase, police said.
Wipe out graffiti
As the ongoing war against graffiti vandalism continues, cops are now offering a $500 reward to anyone with information that can lead them to graffiti vandals.
The hefty reward is part of the city’s new push to rid New York of graffiti, which is one of the leading quality of life complaints brought to police.
Officials said that cleaning up graffiti is essential to the plan, to show that the community is no longer going to tolerate marred and tagged-up walls and street corners.
According to police, there is a perception that if a community will tolerate graffiti, they will tolerate other criminal activities, such as drug dealing and prostitution.
Anyone with information about graffiti vandalism in their neighborhood is urged to contact either 311 or 911.