Allen Park
Teens attack boy, take bike
A 13-year-old resident reported being attacked by nine teens about 9 a.m. Aug. 28 at Allen Park High School, 18401 Champaign.
He said the teens, described as black and between 13 and 15 years old, approached him and three friends while they were riding their bicycles in the school’s parking lot. The teens told them to get off their bicycles and the boys attempted to flee, but one of the suspects allegedly grabbed the victim’s arm and pulled him from his bicycle.
He said he fell to the ground, striking his head, and one of the suspects kicked him in the stomach while another took off west on Champaign on the victim’s bicycle, valued at $400.
Fence posts swiped
A 34-year-old Canton Township man was arrested after allegedly stealing 15 fence posts from a construction site at Roger’s Elementary, 5000 Shenandoah about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 26.
Officers observed the man loading fence posts into his red GMC Jimmy from next to the closed construction site. The man, who had his 9-year-old son in the car, told officers a construction worker had told him he was going to throw them away and if they were still there Monday, the Canton man could have them.
Dearborn
Minivan stolen from repair shop
A gray 1997 Mercury Villager was stolen sometime before 8 a.m. Aug. 27 from Auto One Glass & Accessories, 13640 Warren Ave.
The owner of the business said he noticed the vehicle, which was being repaired, missing from its space in the parking lot.
Missing wallet found, but empty
Miscellaneous credit and debit cards, along with $200 cash, were taken from a black leather wallet stolen from a 1998 Dodge Dakota between 9:45 p.m. Aug. 27 and 8 a.m. Aug. 28.
The wallet’s owner said he received a phone call from the Woodhaven Police Department saying they found it in a park with the money and cards missing.
The victim checked his pickup truck that was parked in the driveway next to his house and saw new damage to the front door handle and key hole.
Dearborn Heights
Home invasion suspect arrested
A 32-year-old Detroit resident was arrested after he allegedly broke into a house about 6:15 p.m. Aug. 25 in the 6000 block of Campus Drive.
Officers said the suspect first tried to get into the house through a sliding glass door, setting off an alarm. He then got in through an upstairs bathroom window, but fled after the homeowner heard the alarm and came upstairs.
The suspect was later arrested at a BP gas station, 22640 W. Warren. Officers searched him and found two screwdrivers and two plastic bags containing marijuana in his front pants pocket.
Break in nets women’s shoes
Ten pairs of women’s shoes valued at $1,000, a 42-inch television ($1,000), three Mp3 players ($600) a laptop ($700) and $3,000 cash were taken from an apartment in the 6000 block of Evergreen sometime before 7 p.m. Aug. 25.
Officers said the suspect broke a pane of glass next to the outside door to the apartment building, reached inside and opened the door. The thief then went down the hall to the victim’s apartment, forced open the door, and stole the goods.
The victim said she believes the thief is the daughter of a friend, who was the only one who knew about the hidden money.
Late-night walker assaulted
Officers are looking for a Hispanic male in his late 20s with tattoos on his left arm who tried to rob a male walking east along Warren about 2:15 a.m. Aug. 19.
The victim said he was walking on the sidewalk when the assailant approached him and demanded money. When the victim reached for his phone to call for help, the suspect punched him in the side of the head.
The attacker then ran across the street to a small dark-colored two-door car with two other male occupants that fled east on Warren.
Lincoln Park
Moped thief nabbed
A thief made an unlikely attempt to escape from a police chase before being taken into custody for theft of a moped.
Shortly after noon Aug. 28, customers at Meijer, 3710 Dix, notified police that a 2000 red Honda Elite moped that had been parked with handlebars locked was taken from in front of the store. The owner reported arriving at noon, securing the vehicle and shopping for about 10 minutes before being notified of the theft. The 31-year-old owner said the vehicle was valued at $1,500.
The suspect, Joel Cartagena, a 28-year-old Detroit man, was dressed all in white when customers saw him take off with the vehicle, which he walked across Dix and into an alley. Responding officers located the suspect in the alley, and when ordered to get off the vehicle he instead kick-started the motor and drove off eastbound on Allard. The suspect refused again to stop when ordered over the patrol car’s loudspeaker, but came to a halt at the intersection of Allard and Winchester, where he was taken into custody.
Cartagena was arraigned Tuesday in Lincoln Park’s 25th District Court on charges of unlawful driving away of a motor vehicle, a five-year felony, and receiving and concealing stolen property, punishable by up to five years. Bond was set at 10 percent of $50,000, and Cartagena remained in custody at press time awaiting a preliminary examination of the evidence against him scheduled for Sept. 13.
Southgate
Woman witnesses theft of vehicle
A woman provided Southgate police with a description of a likely car thief, after observing a man using a pry device to enter and steal her mother’s 2003 Ford Taurus, valued at $3,000.
The woman appeared at the police station Aug. 25 to report the theft of the vehicle the previous night. Initially, she told police a lengthy story about her ex-husband, although investigators noted several inconsistencies in her story.
When challenged, the woman reported having watched a man use a vehicle unlocking tool to gain access to the vehicle. A friend of hers happened to be approaching her home in a vehicle, and the two followed the suspect before losing sight of the vehicle in River Rouge.
The woman provided a description of the suspect, and the vehicle’s information was entered into the Law Enforcement Information Network.
Thieves nab cash from car
An unlocked vehicle invited one or more thieves to make off with $485 cash that was kept in a change purse and left in the car while the owner was at church.
Southgate police responded Aug. 25 to the 13000 block of Mulberry, where the owner said he and his wife were at church from about 6 to 11 p.m. At home, he noticed the change purse missing from his vehicle.
Taylor
Break in nets loose change
The silence in the 7900 block of Katherine Street was broken several times around 2:30 a.m. Aug. 25. It wasn’t until after 4 a.m., however, that police were called to investigate a larceny from a vehicle.
Police responded to a call from a woman who said that would-be thieves broke into her husband’s blue Jeep Liberty that was parked in the driveway. About 2:30 a.m., the woman thought she heard noises outside, but dismissed the sounds as being typical for the neighborhood.
About the same time, another resident of the street recalled hearing two men talking outside and a car alarm sound. She then spotted the men leaving in a dark sport utility vehicle.
When the caller’s husband prepared to leave for work shortly after 4 a.m., he saw that the driver’s side window of the
Jeep was smashed.
Police were then called to the scene. Responding officers observed a large landscaping brick on the front passenger seat of the vehicle, which had been locked.
The victim reported the theft of some loose change in the console, which was damaged in the attack.
Melvindale
Shopper robbed at gunpoint
A shopper at Town Market, 2542 Oakwood, told police a man robbed him of his minivan, cell phone and money about 3:25 p.m. Aug. 28.
The suspect allegedly asked the victim for the time and when the victim looked at the clock on his cell phone, grabbed him by the throat and pointed a brown revolver at him, demanding the car keys, money and phone.
The van also contained the victim’s wallet and two new shirts.
A witness saw the suspect drive the van east on Oakwood.
The suspect was described as a white male in his 30s, standing about 6 feet 2 inches tall with a scar on his right arm and wearing a black T-shirt, blue jeans and a baseball cap.
Riverview
Watch missing after guests leave
Two roommates in the 19000 block of Fort reported various items missing Aug. 28 after one of them had three friends over for the night.
Missing was a designer watch valued at $30,000 a cell phone valued at $200, an Mp3 player ($200), and two video game systems valued together at $150.
The friends left at about 8 a.m. that morning. When one of the roommates returned to the apartment at about 8:30 p.m., he found the items missing.
Wyandotte
Computer case taken through window
A resident of the 3000 block of 22nd reported about 1 p.m. Aug. 28 that someone had broken her dining room window and removed from the house a laptop computer bag sitting on a table near the window.
The bag was found sitting on top of a camper parked alongside the house. It had been rifled through, but nothing was missing.
She suspects the damage occurred between 10 p.m. the night before and noon that day, as she and her husband had been entertaining friends in the backyard.
A similar break-in was reported at a house on 21st, which sits directly behind the house in question, on the same day.
(Compiled by Daniel Heraty, James Mitchell and Andrea Poteet.)