Group of thieves armed with guns and knives wreak havoc in Central Park and UWS in a two-week crime spree stealing Citi Bikes, money and cell phones with a knife
- New York police are looking for a band of thieves who are wreaking havoc in Manhattan’s Central Park and the Upper West Side
- Group stole two Citi Bikes, $ 375 from a man and cell phones from other victims
- In some cases, suspects used force or wielded weapons like knives
- Authorities are asking the public to stop identifying the group of thieves
New York police are looking for a band of thieves that are wreaking havoc in Manhattan’s Central Park.
According to the New York Daily News, the group has been stealing Citi Bikes, money and cell phones from victims on the Upper West Side and Central Park.
In some cases, the suspects used force or wielded weapons like knives.
Although New York City saw an increase in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, this particular group appears to have begun ravaging Manhattan on March 13, when they attacked a 13-year-old boy and stole his LA Dodgers cap.
New York police are looking for a band of thieves who are wreaking havoc in Manhattan’s Central Park
Police told the Daily News that the suspects attacked again four days later, when they brandished a knife at two men who were riding a Citi bike in Central Park.
This particular incident occurred in broad daylight around 3:30 pm on March 17. The victims were not injured in the ordeal, but the suspects stole the bicycles.
Last Tuesday, the band of thieves stole from two teenagers on Riverside Drive at around 9 pm.
The teenagers, aged 14 and 15, told police that the group fired a gun and stole the teenager’s cell phones and sweatshirt.
About two hours later, they managed to get into a residential building on Riverside Drive and stole an electric scooter.
According to the Daily News, about an hour later, the thieves stole a 27-year-old man’s cell phone and wallet containing $ 375.
Officials said the thieves’ crew stole at least two Citi Bikes (archive image)
While he was not injured, the group threatened to stab him. This incident occurred around Central Park West.
Authorities released surveillance footage of the suspect in the hope that the public could help locate him.
The police are asking anyone with information about the thefts to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
New York City saw an increase in crime and even more against Americans of Asian origin.
On Saturday, police said they were looking for a man wanted for shouting anti-Asian slanders against a 44-year-old woman and her three children, spitting on her and kicking her cell phone from a subway train.
The police are calling the incident a hate crime. Authorities described the suspect as a dark-skinned man who is between 50 and 55 years old, about 1.8 m tall and about 70 kg.
He was last seen wearing a dark camouflage sweater, dark sweatpants and black sandals. Police said he was wearing a black sock on his left foot and a white sock on his right foot.
The woman was taking a train at 5 heading south to Times Square with her three children at around 2:30 pm.
The attack was one of the most recent in a national rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.
Also near Times Square last week, a 65-year-old Filipino American woman was violently beaten while walking to the church.
A parole convicted of murdering his mother nearly two decades ago was charged with assault and attempted assault as hate crimes.