After more than two years of rampant property theft across the country due to decriminalization, “bail reform,” and efforts to defund the police, are things finally starting to change? Earlier this week we saw the arrest and detention of San Francisco’s famous “bicycle thief,” who briefly created a viral sensation on social media last year. Now, on the opposite coast of the country, a similar story played out a few days later. In the very upscale Soho district of Manhattan, three ambitious smash-and-grab artists burst into an expensive fashion boutique on Sunday, bursting display cases and quickly loading up with nearly $15,000 worth of designer clothing and bags. They then exited the store and hopped into their vehicle, just as we’ve seen in so many previous cases.
But this time the story ended differently. Rather than standing by and doing nothing, a store security guard and the manager called 911 before the thieves could finish collecting their loot. And by the time they made it into their Dodge Charger, the NYPD was already on the scene. After a brief chase, they caught the thieves, blocking them in and eventually pulling them from the car and putting the trio in handcuffs. And this time the perps went to jail. (NY Post)
Video shows the moment a trio of thieves had their getaway foiled by NYPD officers after stealing more than $70,000 in pricey goods from a Soho boutique Sunday, police said.
The video posted on TikTok shows cops beating on the windows of the crew’s Dodge Charger with their batons and eventually arresting two women and a man who attempted to get away in the vehicle, according to police.
The stop came a short time after the three suspects allegedly went into Kirna Zabete at 477 Broome Street and “removed items from the display cases and racks,” the NYPD said. The threesome then ran out of the store and jumped into the Charger.
All three were charged with grand larceny, reckless endangerment, fleeing an officer, and resisting arrest. As a bonus, two of them were already wanted for robbing the same shop of 26 designer handbags valued at $50,000 in February. During that previous robbery, one of the suspects had flashed a gun at store security.
There was no question of releasing them without bail, so off to jail they went. Provided the prosecutors carry through with their responsibilities as was recently promised by soft-on-crime Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, the trio should be facing serious charges with the potential for significant jail time.
Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change? Instead of maintaining the revolving doors on New York City’s courts and jails, the recently reinvigorated police have gotten back into the habit of chasing down and arresting the bad guys. And more judges and prosecutors have been locking criminals up while others fight to have the previous bail reform laws overturned.
One gets the impression that the people at the top saw the results of a recent survey showing that a solid majority of New Yorkers agreed with the statement, “My family would have a better future if we left New York City permanently.” And the top issues they cited were crime and the unaffordable cost of living in Gotham.
Going even further, the same survey asked how many residents supported the previous, BLM-inspired policies centered on “criminal justice reform” and how many supported Mayor Eric Adams’ new tough-on-crime policies. Majorities ranging from 85 to 95 percent supported the restoration of the NYPD special gun crimes unit, a greater ability for judges to impose bail, and tougher sentencing guidelines for violent offenders.
It’s almost starting to look like the powers that be in New York City have gotten the message. And that would be a welcome change indeed.
