By Thomas Tracy
LADY BANK LOOTER SOUGHT: Police have released more information about the person who robbed the Washington Mutual Savings Bank at 1101 Avenue J in Midwood. In a somewhat rare event, a woman was responsible for the December 30 robbery — the second time in a month that the bank had been robbed, according to cops from the 70th Precinct. Officials said that the suspect, described only as a black female, entered the bank at about 5 p.m. went up to a teller and pointed a small silver handgun at her. The woman calmly ordered the teller not to hit any alarms and to hand over the money in her cash drawer. The gun-woman, believed to be between 5’8” and six feet tall, fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money. According to the New York Post, the thief was savvy enough to identify a dye pack, which is rigged to explode several feet from the bank, and remove it from the sack of loot. Officials said that another individual robbed the same bank ten days earlier. The unidentified black male entered the bank on the afternoon of December 20 and handed the teller a threatening note demanding cash, according to officials. Witnesses didn’t see any weapons. Police said that at the time of that particular robbery the bank robber was identified as clean shaven sporting a black hat, thick black sunglasses and a black jacket. Cops are asking anyone with information to call the NYPD Crimestoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. *** MAN KILLED ON UTICA: A 24-year-old Queens resident was shot to death on Utica Avenue early Sunday morning, police from the 63rd Precinct said. Officials said that the victim, identified as Gavin Morris of 228th Street, was arguing with another man at 3:45 a.m. on January 8 when the suspect pulled a gun and shot him in the chest. Morris was rushed to Kings County Hospital where he died of his injuries a short time later. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to come forward. Tipsters, police said, could receive up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those responsible. Calls can be made to either the 63rd Precinct at (718) 258-4411 or the NYPD CrimeStoppers hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential. *** MORE BANKING BLUES: Now that Christmas is over, Santa might need a little “extra income.” Officials at the Commerce Bank at 1602 Avenue U told police that they were robbed by a white-bearded note-passing bandit last week, taken for over $2,000. The suspect, who is believed to be in his 40s, between 5’5” and 5’7” tall and upwards of 300 pounds entered the bank at about 10:30 p.m. on January 4 and passed a demanding note to a teller. No one was harmed during the course of the robbery, said officials. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to calls the 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611. All calls will be kept confidential. *** TEEN NABBED FOR PULLING KNIFE ON PEER: A 14-year-old boy was taken into custody last week for threatening to cut another youth’s throat at the corner of Stuart Street and Avenue S, officials said. Police said that the teen, a resident of Coleman Street, was taken into custody the morning of January 6 for the alleged confrontation, which took place after school dismissal two days earlier. The victim reportedly told police that the teen was bullying him when he pulled the knife and placed it on his throat. Police did not release the teen perpetrator’s name because of his age. *** ROBBED OF POCKETBOOK: A 61-year-old woman told police last week that she was knocked to the ground and robbed of her pocketbook last week. The woman told police that she was walking down the 1800 block of East 9th Street at 5:30 p.m. on January 5 when the unidentified suspect ripped her bag off her shoulder, causing her to fall to the ground. The thief never stopped and was last seen running southbound on East 9th Street toward an awaiting grey van. The victim, officials said, was not seriously injured. The woman told police that she had $1,000, some jewelry and a cell phone in the pocketbook when it was taken. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611. All calls will be kept confidential. *** SLY FOX HAS A TASTE FOR MINK: A thief broke into an area home last week, taking $19,000 worth of mink coats, according to police. Officials said that the break-in took place at a home on the 900 block of Kings Highway between 2:30 and 3:15 a.m. on January 1. The victim said that while he celebrated the New Year, someone forced open his front door, damaging the door frame in the process. The perpetrator took the coats and ran, the victim told police. Police are investigating. *** VANDALS HIT LOCAL YESHIVA: Cold-hearted vandals may have been responsible for a recent break-in at Ateret Torah Center, 901 Quentin Road, according to officials. Since nothing was taken and a mess was left behind, vandals are on the top of a long list of suspects, which includes a disgruntled employee police from the 61st Precinct said. Employees of the neighborhood Yeshiva told police that the last workers in the building was the cleaning crew, who left around 1 a.m. on December 29. When workers went to open the place up at 5:30 a.m., they found the fourth floor flooded. Someone broke in, opened the faucet of one of the sinks and then clogged the drain with cardboard. Electrical wires were pulled from their sockets throughout the building, officials said. The only other damage was to a second floor classroom, which was broken into, officials said. Cops are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call the 61st Precinct at (718) 627-6611. All calls will be kept confidential.
