Joyride in unmarked cop car
When a police officer stopped to investigate three men he found urinating curbside, an unknown woman sped off in his police vehicle, left it blocks away, and took his keys, police said.
The plainclothes officer noticed three men urinating in public on Saturday, Dec. 5 at 2:33 a.m. in the 200 block of Seventh Street, police said. He exited the unmarked car and approached the men, one of whom started to walk away from the scene.
As he addressed the man, a New York City cab driver rode by and shouted to the officer, “A girl just stole your car,” according to Sgt. Det. Sam Williams.
The officer saw his car heading eastbound on Seventh Street at a high rate of speed and he attempted to follow on foot. He lost sight of the car as it approached Washington Street.
The officer radioed headquarters to inform them of the stolen car and the direction of flight, Williams said.
Minutes later, police recovered the vehicle in the 1000 block of Bloomfield Street with no damage and the keys missing.
Police said the only person who saw the woman driving the vehicle was the cab driver, but he had already left the scene, so no witness can describe the female.
During the incident, the three urinating men left the scene before they were issued summonses, police said.
Thus, a wee problem turned into a big headache.
Store owner robbed by woman with box cutter
A local business owner was robbed last week by a woman wielding a box cutter, police said.
The victim was standing behind the counter of her establishment in the 400 block of Fifth Street speaking with a customer on Monday, Dec. 7 at 6:24 a.m. when another woman walked in the store and stepped behind the counter, police said.
She stuck a sharp object into the waist of the victim and frantically tried to open the cash register using the key, police said.
Unsuccessful, she demanded the victim open the register for her, police said. The female robber took roughly $60 in cash from the register and fled the scene eastbound on Fifth Street.
The victim described the robber as 5-foot-3, dressed in black with dark-colored eyes, but did not notice her race or complexion. She said the woman had a raspy voice.
The victim also noticed a silver box cutter with the blade exposed in the robber’s hand as she left the store.
Police said the victim was not injured and the robbery is still under investigation.
Did you see someone carrying a cash register?
An unknown person smashed a store window and made off with the cash register on Friday, Dec. 4 at 3:17 a.m.
A bread delivery man called police when he arrived at the location and found the front door window smashed, police said.
When police arrived at the store in the 500 block of Willow Avenue, they found a sizable rock on the floor that they believe was used to smash the window.
There was also a large amount of coins on the floor and the cash register was missing, Williams said.
The owner later reported that the cash register only contained between $15 and $20.
A possible witness on a stoop nearby told police he didn’t notice anything, but an investigation will continue.