Victim Spots Assailant in IKEA Two Months After Being Robbed

You can run, but eventually you will get caught. That was the moral of one recent crime solved in the 76th Precinct, when a victim spotted her assailant inside IKEA two months after an attempted robbery.

On Thursday, July 19 at 5:30 pm, a 16-year-old girl was walking near the intersection of Hicks and Nelson Streets when an unknown individual ran up from behind, punched her in back of the head and attempted to remove her cell phone from her hand, police said. When the crook was unsuccesful in his grab, he fled to parts unknown. An immediate canvass of the area by officers of the 76th Precinct was unable to find the offender. 

But karma was on the side of the victim, who spotted her assailant roughly two months later. On Monday, September 17 at 10:39 am, the victim spied the thief while shopping at the Swedish furniture chain in Red Hook, police said. She immediately called 911 and reported what is known as a "passed perp" in police parlance.

Officers of the 76th Precinct arrived at the scene minutes later and the 14-year-old thief was subsequently arrested at 1 Beard St. 

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