robbery
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The New York Police Department is actively searching for a pair of robbers using mopeds as they accosted victims in Manhattan last month.
On Wednesday (January 3), representatives for the New York Police Department said that they were actively searching for two men who were riding a dark-colored moped as they robbed victims in Manhattan last December. The incidents took place on December 15 and 18.
According to their reports, the first of the incidents occurred on the 15th in the Midtown area at First Avenue and 52nd Street as the pair rode up alongside a 38-year-old woman. They snatched her purse from her forcefully, causing her to fall. The pair then sped off, according to witnesses. On the 18th, the pair set out on a longer spree of robberies over nearly three hours in Midtown starting at 7:40 P.M. as they robbed three more women between the ages of 22 and 40. The spree ended as the two attempted to rob a man in his thirties.
The news comes as similar incidents have become more frequent in the city since 2022. Last October alone, there were multiple incidents numbering over two dozen in Manhattan and in the boroughs of Queens and Brooklyn involving theft by robbers on mopeds and e-bikes. The prevalence of these incidents has also occupied space on the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Instagram account recently, with posts capturing the thieves atop mopeds and scooters.
Despite those instances, the city did report a 9.7% drop in robberies during November 2023 when compared to the same period the year before. There were no published statistics for December. NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell stated at the news conference held at One Police Plaza that the department had seized over 27,000 illegal ATVs and unregistered mopeds last year as part of a focus on quality of life enforcement, up from 18,000 in 2022. In response to the news, Mayor Eric Adams displayed elation. “The results are clear — crime is down, jobs are up, tourism is back,” Adams said. “But our work is not done. We’re not spiking the ball. We’re not saying, ‘Mission Accomplished.’”
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A former badge is now going to have to do some hard time for trying to line up a rapper. An ex-police officer who helped plan robbing Bankroll Freddie has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars.
As spotted on HipHopDX the rapper was once robbed at gun point back in 2019. While the law did not have any immediate suspects it turns out that one of their own had a hand in the crime. Eventually cops pieced together the conspiracy and identified the culprits which also included police officer at the time Justin Mikale Thorne.
Almost three years later he saw his day in court. According to WSB-TV he plead guilty several felony charges earlier this month and revealed his role in the robbery scheme that involved two other men. A judge has sentenced him to 10 years in prison for his involvement. During his original bail hearing Thorne’s attorney, Lenny Franco, claimed that he got involved because he and his family were threatened. It is unclear if Thorne and Bankroll Freddie has a relationship prior to the crime. It is also unclear at this time if the two other culprits are also facing charges.
While Bankroll Freddie is seeing justice served in his robbery case that is not the end of his legal concerns. Back in November he was indicted in a drug and weapons case. TMZ reports that he was apart of a crew who conspired to sell crack cocaine and drugs throughout Arkansas and Texas from 2021 to 2022.
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Enough is enough; even for public officials. A judge angrily dismissed a case after the witnesses were killed and the victim packed their bags.
As spotted on Raw Story an Alabama magistrate was clearly over it during a recent hearing regarding a robbery case from August 2019. According to WTVY Bobby Williams III of Mobile was accused of holding up another man at gunpoint and taking his smart phone against his will. But on Monday, March 6 the prosecutors on the case felt they could not move further given some very rare circumstances on available evidence. In this instance both witnesses to the alleged crime have been killed. Additionally, the victim has since moved to Colorado.
Upon hearing of these updates Mobile County Circuit Judge Ben Brooks was visibly upset calling the case “pathetic”. “You know what this reminds me of?” This reminds me of the Mafia in the 1930s,” he said. “Witnesses have disappeared in a robbery case.” Brooks went on to point to the larger issue at hand which is America’s crime problem. “This is the state we have come to. This court can’t solve the cultural problems we have,” he added. “But I can express my frustrations about it.”
The judge then addressed Mr. Williams and let him walk. “I don’t know what happened. You’re presumed innocent. But you’ve been given a big break here. I suggest you take advantage of it.” The defendant has a history of committing low level crimes in the area; most recently for marijuana possession.
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