Four Gunpoint Muggings in Less Than a Week

There have been a spate of gunpoint holdups near the intersection of Classon Avenue and Eastern Parkway in one week, according to police reports.

A 29-year old man was walking on St. Johns Place between Classon and Franklin avenues just before 1 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22, when a robber came up, showed him a small black handgun and told him to drop his wallet and cell phone and walk away. The man did, and the thief grabbed the items and took off.

Then, at 6:45 p.m. the same day, a 25-year-old man was walking on Eastern Parkway between Classon and Franklin avenues when a man came up to him and asked him the time. Once he stopped, a second man approached from behind, brandished a silver handgun and demanded the man's cell phone and wallet. The man handed over his Blackberry and wallet and the duo ran off.

On Saturday, Nov. 26, a 38-year-old man was walking on Classon Avenue at about 10:30 p.m when, at Lincoln Place, a man who had been following him, caught up to him, brandished a handgun and then draped his arm over the man’s shoulder. He asked for the man’s bag, which contained a laptop, iPhone, wallet, books and three gold rings of unspecified value. 

In addition, on Monday, Nov. 21 just after midnight a 29-year-old man was walking on Sterling Place toward Vanderbilt Avenue when a man came up to him, showed him a handgun and said “Yo, yo, yo, give me the phone.” The man dropped his iPhone on the ground and the mugger grabbed it and ran.  

The description of the robber in the Sterling Place hold-up—5-feet, 6-inches tall, 140 pounds with dark skin and a clear complexion—was very similar to the description of the mugger in the robbery just before 1 a.m. on Nov. 22, in which the thief was described as 5-feet 4-inches, 130 pounds with dark skin and a clear complexion. The victims of the other two muggings could not give police detailed  descriptions of the attackers.

Police do not know if the robberies are connected. However robberies tend to jump between Thanksgiving and Christmas and extra police officers have been sent to patrol the area, said Officer Tania Salters, the community affairs officer at the 77th Precinct.

Salters urged mugging victims to call 911 immediately after an attack, saying that surprisingly often, accused muggers are arrested when the victim calls right away, either because they spotted as cops drive the victims around the area, or because other officers in the area see the accused as they flee the scene.