Beaten for cell phone
An area man was hospitalized last week after three teens jumped him for his cell phone on Morgan Avenue.
Police were told that the victim was nearing Flushing Avenue at 8 p.m. on January 15 when the three teens attacked him.
The suspects — all 15-year-olds — reportedly punched the victim repeatedly before running off with his cell phone.
As the victim was taken to an area hospital for treatments, cops from the 90th Precinct canvassed the area, arresting the three teens after a short search.
All three were charged with robbery in the second degree, assault, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, police said.
Armed and dangerous
Two men armed with a gun and a knife were arrested for holding up two brothers on Humboldt Street last month.
The victims said that they had just passed Thornton Street at 2:05 a.m. on December 21 when 27-year-old Joseph Hardy and 22-year-old Luis Gonzalez flashed their weapons and attacked.
One of the victims was pushed to the ground, beaten and robbed, officials said. The other was tackled, beaten, threatened with a weapon and robbed of over $1,000.
The suspects ran off, only to be arrested after a brief investigation.
Beaten on Broadway
An area man was left with two black eyes and deep cuts about the face after some fisticuffs at the corner of Broadway and Marcy Avenue.
Police said that the victim was hanging out at the corner at 2:14 a.m. on January 13 when he got into a confrontation with 18-year-old Carlos Whyte.
The victim alleged that Whyte lunged at him, battering his face during the ensuing attack.
Cops apprehended Whyte a short time later, charging him with assault in the third degree and attempted assault.
Car conundrum
Is possession nine-tenths of the law if someone else has the title to a car?
That’s the question a bone-headed car owner was probably wondering after his car was taken away from him twice in two days.
According to published reports, the victim freely admitted to police that he had left his Mazda unlocked and the keys inside when he parked it for the night on South 9th Street between Driggs Avenue and Roebling Street on the night of January 3.
When he woke up — surprise, surprise — the car was gone.
The victim said that he searched the area for his car, ultimately finding it on South 10th Street.
But whoever took the car was a bit more careful than its owner. He had locked it before going home, police said.
The victim called 911 and a tow truck, but the would-be thief got back into the car and drove off with his wheels — again — following a brief confrontation.
Arson clean-up
A man tending to his clothes at a late-night laundry may be able to help cops in their search for the two arsonists who lit up a Harrison Place apartment building on December 29 where a 17-year-old girl was killed.
Police said that five people were also injured in the 4:30 a.m. blaze between Porter and Knickerbocker avenues that killed Grover Cleaveland High School student Sofia Olivo.
The fire, it’s believed, was started when two men poured gas in the vestibule of the three story building. A gas can was reportedly found a short distance away.
Horrified witnesses said that Olivo had a chance to follow her relatives out an open window, but ended up getting trapped by the flames. At least one of her relatives, a cousin, was still hospitalized for injuries she suffered trying to pull Olivo out.
Cops said that they have video footage of two men dousing the vestibule with gasoline. The faces of the two men are obscured, however.
Yet, there is a possible witness, police said. A man doing his laundry may have seen the suspects as they entered the building at that late hour.
Cops are distributing a photo of the witness in the hopes that he comes forward and tells investigators what he knows.
No motives behind the arson were forthcoming as this paper went to press.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to come forward.
Calls can be made to either the 90th Precinct at (718) 963-5311 or the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.