Posts Tagged ‘Robbery’
Shop owner fights back during armed robbery in Logan Square
Monday, April 15th, 2013Retired widow in North Carolina holds burglary suspect at gunpoint
Thursday, March 7th, 2013Police in North Carolina say suspected burglar who returned to a retired widow’s home to apologize for robbing her found himself staring down the barrel of her gun.
WCRBTV.com reports that Nathaniel Leatherwood, 26, of Georgia, allegedly stole a shotgun, cell phone and medication from Sue Johnson’s Cherokee County home.
When Leatherwood returned to apologize for the alleged burglary, Johnson had no intention of letting him get away, according to the station.
“So I just pulled my gun out of my pocket and said I’m calling the sheriff’s office,” Johnson tells the station. “They’re going to come pick you up. I’m not going to let this happen to an old, retired lady who lives alone.”
Sheriff Keith Lovin, who had recently taught a gun course at Johnson’s church, arrived on the scene and arrested Leatherwood, according to the report. He says he was relieved Johnson wasn’t harmed.
“A medical emergency or whether it’s a fire, whether it’s an intruder, whether it’s a natural disaster, I think sometimes citizens sometimes get complacent,” Lovin tells WCRBTV.com.
Read more: foxnews
CTA bus driver hit with stun gun, robbed on West Side
Thursday, March 7th, 2013A CTA bus driver was rendered immobile by a passenger with a stun gun who robbed her and left her slumped at the wheel of her bus Saturday morning in Columbus Park in the Austin neighborhood, authorities said.
The 40-year-old driver was treated and released from Loretto Hospital after a 20-year-old man noticed her slumped at the wheel of her bus in the 5900 block of West Jackson Boulevard Saturday morning, said Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli.
Read Story: chicagotribune
Robber is Chased, Cornered and Lectured by 50 year-old Woman
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012Sometimes a robber chooses the wrong victim and everything backfires. This was the case with a robbery in downtown Chicago last Friday.
A 50-year-old woman chased her robber for almost a mile, cornered him in an alley and then gave him a lecture. She must be in awesome shape.
The woman was riding a Chicago Transit Authority bus in the Loop just after midnight when police said Jenar Sanders, 18, swiped her wallet from her purse. He then jumped off the bus at Huron and State streets and took off, but he wouldn’t get very far.
Trailing Sanders, the woman alerted others as she ran down the street, according to the Chicago Tribune. The CTA bus driver and a hotel staff member at the Omni Hotel called the police.
The race came to a quick halt when police said Sanders ended up cornered in an alley off Superior Street between Wabash Avenue and Rush Street, surrounded by the victim and others who had joined the chase.
“She kept telling him God didn’t want him to steal her wallet,” a police source told the Tribune. (more…)
Stolen Taxicabs Located With GPS Tracking Device
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
GPS tracking devices installed on taxicabs that were stolen resulted in the retrieval of the cabs and the capture of one robber in two separate incidents.
Stolen Taxicab Tracked in Denver
A man was arrested in Denver, CO this past Wednesday after law enforcement officials said he stole a taxi, robbed a convenience store and then led police officers on a chase that ended when he crashed the cab into a tree in the Civic Center Park.
According to a local police report, the suspect stole an orange Union Taxi mini-van and then drove it to the Diamond Shamrock convenience store at around 1 a.m.
After robbing the convenience store, the suspect took off again in the stolen cab. The taxi was equipped with a GPS tracking device, which allowed police to track the precise location of the vehicle. The suspect led officers on a late-night chase, which ended with the cab going off the street and onto a sidewalk, where he then smashed in to a tree near downtown Denver.
The police were able to take him into custody, and the suspect was then taken to a hospital to have his injuries checked out.
Stolen Taxicab Found in San Antonio
In a similar incident, a cab driver had his taxi stolen from him at gunpoint in San Antonio, TX.
Cesar Alvarez told police he picked up a fare at a motel around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. He said he drove the man to his destination and suddenly found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.
“He said get (out),” said Alvarez. “I saw the gun. He was in the back seat. And I said, ‘All right. Sure.’ He didn’t take any money or anything. He just took the cab.” Alvarez said he was shaken but otherwise all right.
Within roughly 30 minutes, San Antonio police officers had found the cab in the parking lot about a mile from where Alvarez had originally picked up the man.
“It was parked. It was abandoned,” said Sgt. Daniel Gonzalez with San Antonio Police Department.
Although Gonzalez said police officers stumbled upon the stolen taxicab by chance, Alvarez believes the quick discovery was due to the fact that a GPS tracking device was attached to his cab.
“It was the GPS,” Alvarez said. “It has a GPS.”
Police said after he parked the cab, the carjacker got away. They used a helicopter and officers on the ground but did not find him.
Looks like it’s been a rough start to the New Year for taxi drivers. Thankfully, they were able to locate their stolen cabs with the help of GPS technology.
Read story@ landairsea
Man Caught and Jailed After Facebooking a Store Burglary
Thursday, December 29th, 2011I am always shocked at how much personal information people are willing to share on their social sites, but seriously, this is definitely a case of TMI (too much information).
An 18-year-old Pittsburgh man is accused of burglarizing a local market with three teens. They were discovered after the teen posted pictures on his Facebook page showing the suspects displaying some of the loot.
Isaiah Cutler, the only adult suspect, has been in jail since Friday in the Dec. 12 burglary.
Authorities report that 17-year old Cutler, along with two 14-year-olds, stole more than $8,000 worth of cash, cigarettes, candy, and checks from the business. About an hour later, Cutler posted pictures of the teens posing with what they stole on his Facebook page, police said.
Well, I guess they’re just stupid kids,” Detective Valerie Milie said Monday. “They thought they could put (the pictures) out there for their friends who friended them on Facebook to see. But the one kid had 200 friends, but not only were they friends, some of them were relatives who became concerned and called police.”
Police were already tracking down the teens based on the Facebook photos and the surveillance video from the store by the time the parents determined what happened, Milie said.
“The kids came home with shopping bags full of new Michael Jordan tennis shoes and clothes, and (the parents) said, `Where did you get the money?”‘ to buy such things, Milie said.
The younger suspects have been charged in juvenile court and have been released to their parents.
Cutler was scheduled to be in court yesterday on charges of theft, burglary and conspiracy.
Sources: MSNBC, CBS News
Gambler Says He Was Robbed of $10,000 Won at Casino
Thursday, December 8th, 2011Good luck quickly changed to bad luck for a Chicago man yesterday. He was lucky enough to win $10,000 and then very unlucky to have lost the money in a flash. This 62-year-old Chicago man was robbed of more than $10,000 he had won at a casino less than a half hour earlier.
Chicago police are investigating a report from a 62-year-old Chinese immigrant that two men robbed him overnight of more than $10,000 he won at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind.
Police and fire paramedics responded to a call of an armed robbery in the 2200 block of South Princeton Avenue just after 2:15 a.m. There they found the victim with a bleeding cut on his forehead, police said.
The victim told police the attack happened as he returned home from a trip to the Hammond casino, where he won more than $10,000 in cash and casino chips, according to police and his son.
Mr. Chan only had to walk 20 steps from his car to his front door. As he walked to the front door of his Chinatown apartment, the victim said he saw two young men running toward him. The victim wasn’t able to get inside fast enough and was attacked by the two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, said police and the victim’s son, William Chan. (more…)
From the Mouths of Thieves
Friday, May 28th, 2010Marcie Hill is the author of todays post, written after meeting face to face with 6 professional thieves. The panelists, all currently serving prison time provided the audience with insights that were both surprising, and a bit chilling.
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A panel of six burglars from the Keepin’ It Real program attended our Community Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) meeting recently, and shared honest and in-depth details about tricks of their trades. One person specialized in cars only; another specialized in identity theft; and the remaining four were generalists. One of the generalists had a ComEd uniform, and offered somewhat different experiences than the others. Check out what they all had to say.
Types of neighborhoods targeted
- Quiet, where people don’t talk to each other
- Neighbors that mind their own business
- Neighborhoods where people don’t pay attention
Lessons:
- Know your neighbors, if only the ones to your right, left, front, and back.
- Pay attention to what’s going on in your community. If something or someone looks out of place, call the police.
- Know who lives on your block and in your building even if you are not well acquainted.
The length of time it takes to steal
- If your area has already been scoped, it only takes 3 to 5 minutes to burglarize a home. The maximum time it takes is 10 minutes. It only takes 1-2 minutes to steal items from your car.
Pets, fences and alarm systems do not stop burglars
- Many criminals welcome pets and fences. Fences block their vision and pets let them know when you are arriving because they usually look out for you.
- Dogs are fed peanut butter so it can get stuck to the roofs of their mouths. Depending on the type of dog, thieves may take it, too!
Where they like to steal
- All of the guys burglarized single-family homes; one preferred businesses; but a couple preferred multi-unit buildings. This allowed them access to more apartments.
- They generally gained entry by acting like they couldn’t find their keys OR a current resident held the door for them without giving thought to the person they just let inside their home
Favorite rooms/things to burglarize
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Favorite entry points
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How they get stuff out the house
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What happen to stolen goods?
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The officer posed the question: Have you ever wondered where retailers at flea markets got the lawn mowers they sell?
Garage Doors
- Change frequencies on your garage door remote because nearby neighbors can open your door if it is on the same frequency as their electronics
- A Comcast Universal Remote can open garage doors
General notes
- Five of them worked in groups; the ComEd guy worked alone
- They ring the doorbell to see if anyone is home
- They do NOT want to meet anyone in the house. If they get caught, crime changes from burglary to home invasion with a higher sentencing
- City of Chicago offers a FREE security evaluation. Call 311 to schedule an appointment.
From the Identity Thief
- Shred all documents that have birth date and social security number
- Parking tickets contain information that can be used to obtain your credit report through freecreditreport.com. After your records are retrieved, your account can be upgraded, and the offender can shop. Only a credit card number is needed for shopping sprees.
From the Car Guy
- If he doesn’t see anything inside the car, he keeps moving
Lesson:
- Take time to put things in your trunk
From the ComEd Guy
- He was able to move around freely because of his uniform.
Lesson:
- Ask all uniformed individuals for I.D.
The main deterrents for burglars
- Outdoor cameras
- Nosey neighbors
- Neighbors that look out for each other, talk to each other, and wave at each other
- Neighborhood crime signs
The information presented above came directly from six burglars that mastered the art of thievery.
They are currently serving time, and are soon scheduled for release. Please be mindful of this information and share it with others.
© 2010 Marcie Hill
Think Twice About a Face Tattoo
Friday, February 19th, 2010If you’re going to lead a life of crime, don’t get a tattoo on your face…it could be what’s known as an identifying mark.
A transient in San Francisco, replete with the words “Why Try” tattooed on the front of his melon has been charged with carjacking; he forced an elderly man from his car, choked him, and then drove away. He returned minutes later to choke the man again.
The carjacker reportedly swung the older man around like a rag doll until a resident who witnessed the crime stopped the attack. The elderly many survived, but was hospitalized. According to police, he was just moments away from death.
Police in Oakland police spotted the tattooed transient driving the stolen car, and he was identified by…you guessed it: “Why Try,” a tattoo over the carjackers eyes. He was arrested and positively chosen out of a lineup.
Now “Why Try” is trying to figure out “Why Me,” an answer obvious to the rest of us. He is in jail now, being held without bail on attempted murder, robbery, carjacking, and elderly abuse charges. He also has a prior record…I guess the tattoo doesn’t work to well during burglaries, either.
To all you kids out there, take this down as a lesson…
Police Seize More Weapons…Including Rocket Launcher
Monday, February 15th, 2010Once we worried that terrorists were able to access high-tech military equipment, often made by the United States, to use against armed forces. In the past decade, we’ve worried that criminals were better armed than the police.
The Chicago Police Department turned up a weapons cache last week that highlighted both those worries as they uncovered another large stockpile of weapons; the third in three weeks. The first, you may remember, was confiscated after a man shot a dog from his window in a northern Chicagoland suburb. The second was the result of a raid on Chicago’s south side.
The latest took place on the west side, the Organized Crime Division recovering 13 weapons and an anti-tank weapon after searching several properties.
The man charged in the case is a allegedly a member of the 4-Corner Hustlers, one of Chicago’s many street gangs. He was charged with 11 counts of misdemeanor firearms possession and one count of misdemeanor possession of ammunition.
The police did not elaborate as to why the crimes were no felonies. The weapons recovered included shotguns, rifles, semi-auto handguns and a disposable Light Anti-Tank Weapon (LAW), or rocket launcher.
Andre Tatum, 41, of the 800 block of North Lawler is being held on bond for the possession crimes.
