Brooklyn
A gun-toting bandit and his cohorts pulled two robberies in Bedford-Stuyvesant in which they relieved victims of cash, cellphones — and even their shoes, law enforcement sources said.
In the first theft, Isreal Bradley, 23, and an accomplice allegedly stormed inside a tobacco shop on Myrtle Avenue and jumped over the counter last Nov. 25 at 10:52 a.m., sources said.
Bradley allegedly pistol-whipped a cashier and forced him to the ground.
The duo swiped money from the register and from the victim, and stole packs of cigarettes before fleeing, sources said.
On New Year’s Eve, Bradley and several others allegedly used Facebook to lure two men to a housing project to meet a girl named “Bella.”
When the victims arrived at the Dekalb Avenue building, an unidentified person greeted them and brought them inside, where they allegedly were ambushed by the gun-wielding Bradley and four other thugs, sources said. The crew stole the two men’s cash, cellphones and shoes, sources added.
The victims managed to flee and flag down officers on patrol.
Bradley was arrested on robbery charges and identified by all three of his victims, sources said. His alleged accomplices are still on the loose.
The Bronx
If you see this man, call the cops, and find him a comb.
The crazy-haired thug stabbed a rival on a subway train rolling through the South Bronx, police said.
The 25-year-old victim was hawking candy to straphangers on the No. 2 train as it entered the East 149th Street/Third Avenue station around 1:50 p.m., Dec. 20, when William Quinones, 29, allegedly recognized the illegal vendor and said, “Let’s settle this now.”
Quinones then pulled a knife and stabbed the candy vendor in front of horrified riders, cops said.
The victim was rushed to Lincoln Hospital with wounds that were not life-threatening, authorities said.
Police are asking for the public’s help finding Quinones.
An NYPD school safety agent pulled a knife on her boyfriend’s mother in Kingsbridge, cops said.
Rita Rodriguez, 32, threatened the woman inside her home at about 9 p.m. Wednesday, according to police.
The victim was not injured, but Rodriguez was charged with menacing, reckless endangerment, and weapon possession, cops added.
Manhattan
A group of thieves masquerading as delivery workers shot a man after he opened the door to his East Harlem apartment, authorities said.
The victim was inside his apartment on East 124th Street near Park Avenue at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday when he heard the doorbell ring, cops said.
When he looked through the peephole, he saw a man in plain clothes with a box he said was from Fed Ex.
When the 45-year-old tenant opened the door, he was bum rushed by three men, cops said.
The victim put up a fight until one of the thugs pulled out a gun and shot him in the left shoulder, cops said.
The home invaders fled the building empty-handed.
Queens
A 30-year-old man was gunned down in a hail of bullets in Queens Village, cops said.
Earl Jackson was inside Jamaica Lamp and Shades on Jamaica Avenue, near 212th Street, around 10:50 p.m. Wednesday when someone shouted, “Get down!” and bullets began flying, police sources said.
The gunman squeezed a bullet into Jackson’s torso and another bullet into the back of his head, cops said.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
No arrests have been made, but police are interviewing at least one witness, sources said.
The motive was not immediately clear.
Jackson had a rap sheet that dates to 2000 for burglary, robbery, grand larceny, aggravated assault, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and forgery, according to police.
Cops are looking for a vandal who decapitated a statue of the Virgin Mary at a church in Ozone Park.
A staff member made the disturbing find behind the rectory of St. Mary Gate of Heaven Catholic Church on 101st Avenue around 10 a.m. Monday and called police, cops said.
Members of the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force are investigating and believe the culprit removed the statue’s head sometime last week. No arrests have been made.