BY ZACHARY GEWELB
Cops are searching for the woman
who robbed a man of cash and
his MetroCard in a Long Island City
robbery last week.
Police say the woman approached
the 67-year-old male victim in front
of 22-14 40th Ave. at 6:30 p.m. on Feb.
10. She attempted to grab the man’s
wallet from his back pocket, leading
to a struggle between the two,
according to authorities.
POLICE BLOTTER
The woman pushed the man to
the ground and fled toward the
Queensbridge Houses with his MetroCard
TIMESLEDGER | 10 QNS.COM | FEB. 21-27, 2020
and $60, police said.
The man suffered scratches to his
face and a bruised eye, but refused
medical attention at the scene, according
to police.
Police released surveillance video
and photos of the suspect on Feb.
16 that were obtained from inside a
nearby liquor store, prior to the robbery.
114th Precinct
Man steals thousands from Astoria cocktail bar
BY ZACHARY GEWELB
Cops are searching
for the man who broke
into an Astoria cocktail
bar and stole more than
$6,000 earlier this month.
Police say the suspect
smashed the front window
of The Social, an
international tapas and
cocktail bar located at 37-
06 30th Ave., with an unknown
object at 6:30 a.m.
on Feb. 8.
Once inside, the man
broke into an office and
stole approximately
$6,700 and two tablets before
fleeing on 30th Avenue
toward Steinway
Street, police said.
Astoria
Anyone with information in regard
to the identity of this individual is
asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers
Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)
or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips
by logging onto the CrimeStoppers
website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.
COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are strictly confidential.
104th Precinct
Middle Village
102nd Precinct
Richmond Hill
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Cops nabbed on Tuesday a man
who allegedly robbed a woman at
knifepoint at a Queens massage parlor
on Monday afternoon and then raped
her after she handed over her cash.
According to police, at 4:50 p.m. on
Feb. 17, Luchiano Crooks, 26, entered
Vivi Massage Spa, located at 134-10 Jamaica
Ave. in Richmond Hill, where
he was instructed to wait for a masseuse
in room #2. When the 45-yearold
female masseuse entered the room,
cops said, Crooks allegedly pulled out
a knife and demanded money.
The victim, who was in fear of her
life, complied and handed over $100 in
cash. After getting the cash in hand,
Crooks allegedly raped the victim, according
to police.
The suspect then fled to parts unknown.
EMS took the victim to NYC
Health & Hospitals/Queens, where
she was treated and released.
On Feb. 18, the NYPD released photos
and video of the suspect taken from
surveillance footage that the massage
parlor:
Police announced on Tuesday night
that detectives collared Crooks — who
resides on 131st Street in Richmond
Hill — and booked him on charges of
first-degree rape, first-degree robbery
and criminal sexual act.
With reporting by Robert Pozarycki.
Reach reporter Emily Davenport by
e-mail at edavenport@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2567
NYPD detective commits suicide in Midville
BY JACOB KAYE
An NYPD detective committed suicide
in a Middle Village home on Monday,
police sources confirmed with
QNS.
Around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb.
17, police responded to a house on 79th
Street to find that the second-grade detective
had hanged himself, according
to police.
The NYPD could not immediately
confirm the name of the detective.
Councilman Robert Holden wrote
in a Facebook post that there was a
“significant police presence” at 79th
Street and 58th Avenue that is believed
to be connected with the suicide.
This is the first incident of police
suicide this year, after 10 active-duty
NYPD officers killed themselves in
2019.
Suspect nabbed for robbing, raping woman at
knifepoint at Rich Hill massage parlor: NYPD
114th Precinct
Long Island CIty
Women steals cash, MetroCard in LIC robbery
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