By The TimesLedger
FLUSHING — The Queens robbery squad and the 109th Precinct arrested a suspect Tuesday in a series of Queens robberies, many of which occurred when the culprit snatched female victims’ handbags, police said.
Ray Edwards 37, of South Ozone Park was charged with robbery in nine incidents that fit into two distinct robbery patterns, police said.
In one robbery pattern the suspect allegedly reached into several cars through the windows, grabbing the victims’ purse straps and dragging the victims, causing injuries, police said. Many of the victims were elderly women.
The suspect always fled in a dark auto, police said.
Most of the robberies occurred in July and August in the 109th Precinct, which covers Flushing, College Point, Whitestone, part of Auburndale and Bay Terrace, police said.
Edwards is accused of the following robberies in the first robbery pattern, according to police:
•On July 3, an 80-year-old woman was robbed at 166th Street and 25th Drive in Whitestone;
•On July 16 a 62-year-old woman was robbed in front of 171-46 Courtney Ave. in Auburndale;
•On July 20 a 62-year-old woman was robbed at 26th Avenue and Parsons Boulevard in Linden Hill;
•On July 24, a 57-year-old woman was robbed at Parsons Boulevard and Bayside Avenue in Linden Hill;
•On Aug. 6, a 73-year-old woman was robbed at Linden Boulevard and 120th Street in South Ozone Park;
•Also on Aug. 6, a 67-year-old woman was robbed at 109-47 125th St. in Ozone Park.
In the other robbery pattern, which police did not describe but in which all the victims were male, Edwards is accused of the following robberies, according to authorities:
•On July 13, a 41-year-old man was robbed in the lobby of 41-90 Frame Place in Flushing;
•On Aug. 14, a 42-year-old man was robbed at 132-41 Pople St. in Flushing;
•On Aug. 16, a 47-year-old man was robbed at 132-51 Pople St. in Flushing.
Lightning strike grounds LIRR’s Port Washington line
BAYSIDE — An electrical storm wiped out the Long Island Rail Road’s signal for the Port Washington line during Monday’s evening rush hour, forcing many Queens passengers to take lengthy bus rides instead of the train, an LIRR spokesman said.
The lightning strike occurred at about 4:45 p.m. somewhere near Great Neck, L.I., a stop midway between Bayside and Port Washington, said Sam Zambuto, an LIRR spokesman.
With the system damaged, LIRR technicians had to change the computers which control the signals that direct the trains, Zambuto said.
A number of eastbound trains were delayed from early evening through late evening, while westbound trains were canceled and replaced with bus service from Port Washington to Flushing’s Main Street, Zambuto said, where passengers traveling to Manhattan could board the No. 7 subway train.
Later in the evening, buses were used along parts of the eastbound line, Zambuto said.
Service in both directions from Penn Station to Great Neck was restored at 10 p.m., while service all the way to Port Washington was restored by 11 p.m., Zambuto said.
Baby hurt when stroller hit on Flushing street
FLUSHING — A baby suffered a minor injury Saturday when his stroller rolled into the street and was hit by an auxiliary police car, police said.
The 8-month-old boy’s mother accidentally let go of his stroller and it rolled into the intersection of Main Street and Sanford Avenue about noon, police said.
An auxiliary police car was traveling south on Main Street when the stroller rolled into the back of the vehicle and fell over, knocking the infant out. He was taken to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens for a minor scrape on his face, police said.
Racial slurs sent to Bay Terrace resident
BAY TERRACE — A black man received a letter in the mail July 15 which contained racial slurs, police said.
The man notified police Friday that he received the letter at his home on 18th Avenue last month, police said. Police were investigating.
Hillcrest Bank of New York held up by man with note
HILLCREST — The Bank of New York on Union Turnpike was robbed of $2,000 after a man passed a teller a note demanding money Tuesday, police said.
The robbery occurred at 186-3 Union Turnpike, police said. No injuries were reported to police. The suspect fled the scene and no arrest had been made. Police were investigating.
Sleeping man shot on So. Jamaica bus
SOUTH JAMAICA — A sleeping man was shot in the shoulder while riding the Q5 city bus Friday, police said.
Two men were arguing on the bus, which was traveling eastbound on Merrick Boulevard, said Carmen Melendez, a police spokeswoman.
One of the men fired one shot at 11:30 a.m., when the bus was at the intersection of Farmers Boulevard, Melendez said.
The single shot hit the victim, 24, who was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in stable condition, Melendez said.
On Monday, police were still searching for the shooting suspect, who was described as a black male, age 19 or 20, 5-feet-8-inches tall with a thin build and wearing small dreadlocks, a red bandanna, red shirt and dark blue knee-length shorts, Melendez said.
Tractor Trailer overturns on Hillside Avenue
JAMAICA — An overturned tractor trailer disrupted traffic for several hours on Hillside Avenue Tuesday, police said.
The tractor trailer was transporting a steel-I beam when it overturned at 1:15 a.m. at the intersection of Hillside Avenue and Queens Boulevard in Jamaica, police said.
The trailer blocked two westbound lanes on Hillside Avenue and took New York Police Department Highway Units several hours to clear, police said. No injuries were reported by police.
Bicyclist shot on Hollis street
HOLLIS — A 23-year-old man was shot in the buttocks while riding his bicycle Friday, police said.
The victim was rounding the corner of 191st Street and Woodhull Avenue about 2:15 a.m. when he was shot by an unidentified person, police said.
He was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition. Police are investigating.
Man carjacked at knifepoint in Far Rockaway
Far Rockaway — A man was carjacked at knifepoint early Sunday morning, police said.
The victim, 32, said that while stopped at a red light at the intersection of Beach 32nd Street and Beach Channel Drive at 3:25 a.m., he was approached by a man who displayed a knife and ordered him out of his 1982 Mitsubishi truck, police said.
The truck was recovered at Gateway Boulevard and New Haven Avenue in Far Rockaway with about $11,000 worth of clothing missing, police said.
Queens Village man arrested in shooting of 13-year-old
QUEENS VILLAGE — Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in the Aug. 17 shooting of a 13-year-old girl, police said.
Darrin Wilkerson, 22, of 221-11 106th Ave. in Queens Village was arrested and charged with assault for allegedly shooting the victim in the leg following an argument with several other people, police said.
The victim was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in stable condition, police said.
ESU officer shoots man in his 211th Place home
QUEENS VILLAGE — An Emergency Service Unit officer shot a 30-year-old man who allegedly pointed a gun at the officer during a search of the man’s home Tuesday, police said.
Hector Alberro, 30, of 99-72 211th Pl. in Queens Village was arrested after the incident, police said. Alberro was already on parole for attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon when Emergency Service Unit officers were executing a search warrant in his home, police said.
Alberro allegedly pointed a loaded 45-caliber handgun at the officers, police said. One of the officers shot Alberro one time, hitting him in the left arm, police said.
Alberro was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital in stable condition and one of the officers was taken to Jamaica Hospital for trauma, police said.
Suspect arrested in shooting at Queens Village barbershop
QUEENS VILLAGE — Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in an Aug. 4 shooting at a barbershop, police said.
Patrick Reid, 22, of Brooklyn was charged with assault after allegedly shooting a 35-year-old man who was closing a barbershop at 113-63 Springfield Blvd. in Queens Village, police said.
During the incident, shots were fired from a gray sedan and the victim was struck several times, police said. The victim was taken to Mary Immaculate Hospital and police said they expected him to recover.
Maryland man charged in East Elmhurst shooting
EAST ELMHURST — A Maryland man was arrested in South Carolina last Thursday and is being charged with an August 2000 shooting on Northern Boulevard, police said.
Brandon Richardson, 20, of Baltimore, was charged with attempted murder for the Aug. 27, 2000 shooting of an unidentified man in his 20s, police said.
The shooting occurred at 100th Street and Northern Boulevard in East Elmhurst. The victim was shot once in the back of his head, police said. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital in critical condition.
New York City detectives arrested Richardson in Clinton, S.C., police said. Richardson waived extradition and was returned to New York for prosecution, police said.
Sanitation worker hurt in Ozone Park crash
OZONE PARK — A city sanitation worker was critically injured Friday when his truck hit a cement barrier and embankment on the Van Wyck Expressway, police said.
The truck was traveling south on the Van Wyck at Liberty Avenue about 3:30 a.m. when the accident occurred, police said.
The driver, who was the only occupant of the truck, was pinned inside the vehicle and had to be extricated by the Emergency Service Unit, police said. He was taken to Jamaica Hospital in critical condition.
Man charged with rape of teen in Elmhurst
ELMHURST — A 20-year-old man was charged with raping a teenage girl at knifepoint early Friday morning during a party on 82nd Street, police said.
Police said Zhibin Liv, 20, whose address was not released, was arrested and charged with raping a 15-year-old girl whom he knew about 1 a.m. during a party at 54-55 82nd Street.
The girl was taken to Elmhurst Hospital for evaluation, police said.
Man slashed in mugging at Grand Avenue station
ELMHURST — A 33-year-old man was slashed in the face with a box-cutter and robbed of $600 by four men on the stairs of a subway station Monday, police said.
The victim was approached by four men at 8:40 p.m. at the Grand Avenue and Queens Boulevard station for the G and R subways, police said.
One suspect slashed the victim with a box-cutter while the other suspects removed the cash, police said. All four suspects fled the scene, while the victim was taken to St. John’s Hospital in stable condition, police said.
