BAYONNE —Four Bronx residents were apprehended on Feb. 3 and charged with robbery and other crimes after they allegedly stole $101.55 of over-the-counter medicines from Rite Aid.
Police officials said the shoplifting incident was elevated to a robbery after one of the suspects allegedly struck police officers after a long car and foot chase through the northern portion of Bayonne.
Unique Jones, 18, Priscilla Malcom, 23, Natalie Bellamy, 19, and a 16-year-old female, all from the Bronx, were charged with robbery.
Jones, in addition, was charged with aggravated assault for striking police officers while resisting arrest.
Malcom, who was the driver of the get away car, was charged with eluding police.
All four were charged with possession of stolen property after a police search found additional items allegedly stolen from other locations in the car.
A clerk at the Rite Aid called the police at about 9:40 p.m. saying that the four suspects had fled the store with unpaid merchandise.
A police car happened to be outside the store at the time and saw the get away car fleeing west bound done 55th Street without lights on. Police began a pursuit that weaved through several streets – which included the get away car hitting another car crossing Avenue C, then two parked cars before ending up on the dead end on West 49 Street, at which point the three suspects fled on foot through back yards.
Malcom and the 16-year-old were arrested when they came out on West. 48th Street. Jones, the police said, resisted arrest by allegedly punching and kicking arresting officers who eventually subdued him. Jones also allegedly gave them the wrong name, but was identified after a search found his identification on him.
The fourth suspect, Bellamy, never got into the car, and was arrested a short time later near the border of Jersey City. A search of the car, police said, came up with two laundry bags filled with merchandise believed to have been stolen from other stores.