POLICE BEAT

Restaurant thief gets property to go

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A nice lady just wanted to eat in peace on the morning of Sept. 29 at Land & Sea restaurant. Instead, the 29-year-old stepped away from her table at the 5535 Broadway restaurant to speak to someone.

When she returned to her table afterward, according to police, her stuff was missing. Apparently somebody swiped the woman’s car keys, iPhone charger, Chase debit card, driver’s license and wallet. Police valued the stolen property at about $395.

Thankfully, there were cameras inside the restaurant and detectives are now looking for the dastardly diner.

Thief can’t outrun the law

One burglar picked the wrong day, the wrong street, and the wrong precinct to commit a smash-and-grab theft.

A woman was walking to her vehicle around 7 p.m., on Sept. 25, which was parked on the 6200 block of Riverdale Avenue when she noticed something weird, according to police. Something unexpected. Something that looked like a guy sitting in the front passenger seat of her ride.

Right about then, the guy noticed he had an audience. He hopped out and ran, police said. Thankfully, the victim got a good look at him. She called 911 and gave them a description.

About 30 minutes later, some officers — including the precinct’s commanding officer Capt. Emilio Melendez — were patrolling the area. They spotted a man fitting the victim’s description peeking though car windows and checking if any were unlocked. The cops hopped out of their police cruiser, but the guy began high-tailing it out of there, according to reports.

But there’s only so far he could run. After a bit of a foot race, police caught up with up and put him in handcuffs.

Police Beat, Heather J. Smith