Scooter-riding purse snatchers strike in Dutch Kills and three hours later in Woodhaven: NYPD

Cops are looking for these suspects for allegedly robbing women in Dutch Kills and, hours later, in Woodhaven. Photos courtesy of the NYPD

May 22, 2024 By Bill Parry

Police from two Queens precincts are looking for scooter-riding robbers who targeted two women in three hours and remain at large more than two weeks later.

The first incident occurred within the confines of the 114th Precinct at around 7:25 p.m. on May 7. A 50-year-old woman was walking home when two strangers rode up on a two-wheeled scooter in front of 38-14 30th St. in Dutch Kills and forcibly removed the victim’s purse from her arm before speeding away from the location in an unknown direction. The victim sustained lacerations to her hand but refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

Just under three hours later, the purse snatchers struck again, this time in the confines of the 102nd Precinct, where a 38-year-old woman was walking home at around 10:20 p.m. when two individuals riding a two-wheeled scooter approached her in front of a home at 88-10 88th St. in Woodhaven.
One of the perpetrators punched her in the face and dragged her along the ground before ripping her purse away. The assailants sped away southbound on 88th Street toward 89th Avenue, police said, adding that the victim sustained minor injuries to her face, knee, and elbow but refused medical attention at the scene.

The NYPD released surveillance images of the three suspects early Wednesday morning and described them as having medium complexions. One wore a red Cincinnati Reds baseball cap and a red hooded sweatshirt. A second man wore a black helmet with a visor and a blue jacket, while a third man wore a gold and black Timberland hooded jacket. A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to their arrests.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

Through May 19, the 114th Precinct in Astoria reported 121 robberies so far in 2024, 18 more than the 103 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 17.5%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Robberies are also on the rise in the 102nd Precinct in Richmond Hill, where 73 robberies were reported through May 19, a dozen more than the 61 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 19.7%, according to CompStat.