Two R’wood Busts In 20 Minutes
Within 20 minutes’ time, 104th Precinct officers busted a pair of alleged bandits who targeted parked vehicles in Ridgewood early last Tesday morning, July 29, law enforcement sources reported.
Details about the arrests were included in a report on recent police activity that Det. Thomas Bell of the 104th Precinct Community Affairs Unit sent to the Times Newsweekly after press time last Wednesday, July 30. He noted “the majority of these arrests were made thanks to residents who saw something and said something” to authorities.
Police said Glendale’s Carlos Soto, 21, was allegedly observed removing tires off a vehicle in front of a location on 60th Street near Metropolitan Avenue at about 2 a.m. last Tuesday.
According to Bell, the vehicle was previously reported stolen from the intersection of Putnam and Forest avenues.
Officers from the 104th Precinct were called to the 60th Street location and, when they arrived at the scene, Soto reportedly tried to hide inside the stolen vehicle.
Moments later, the officers located Soto and took him into custody on charges of grand larceny, criminal mischief, criminal possession of stolen property, auto stripping, possession of burglar’s tools and unauthorized use of a vehicle, it was noted.
Court records indicated Soto was released without bail following arraignment last Wednesday in Queens Criminal Court before Judge Deborah Stevens-Modica.
Twenty minutes after Soto was collared, Bell stated, 104th Precinct officers busted Pedro Cordero, 40, of Brooklyn after he allegedly broke into a parked vehicle at the corner of Jefferson and Wyckoff avenues.
Reportedly, Cordero was seen removing a number of valuable items left inside the auto, including a platinum ring, an iPod, a Nintendo DS gaming system and a Samsung Galaxy cell phone.
Bell advised residents never to leave such expensive items unattended in their vehicles.
Police officers responded to calls of the theft and took Cordero into custody on charges of grand larceny, criminal mischief, auto stripping, possession of burglar’s tools and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Judge Michele Armstrong ordered Cordero held on $15,000 bond or $7,500 cash bail during arraignment last Tuesday in Queens Criminal Court, according to records.
Other recent arrest which Bell summarized included the following:
– Five individuals were picked up at Middle Village’s Juniper Valley Park for illegally loitering during nighttime hours last Sunday and Tuesday, July 25 and July 27. All were under 18 years of age and their identities were not disclosed; four of them reside in Middle Village.
Bell stated four of the alleged loiterers had marijuana in their possession, while another had a gravity knife and a BB gun.
– Christopher Villa, 24, of Brooklyn and an unidentified 17- year-old Brooklyn male were arrested early last Sunday morning after being found in possession of a stolen motorcycle on 54th Street off Flushing Avenue in Maspeth.
Reportedly, the motorcycle was previously reported stolen from a Brooklyn location.
They were each charged with grand larceny auto, criminal possession of stolen property, auto stripping, possession of burglar’s tools and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
– David Negron, 21, of Middle Village was collared early last Wednesday morning for allegedly scrawling a tag onto an air conditioner in the vicinity of Fresh Pond and 62nd roads in Middle Village. He was booked on additional counts of making graffiti after the same tag was found on a nearby mailbox on Metropolitan Avenue.
