A northbound platform at Brooklyn’s Clinton–Washington Avenues subway station turned into a crime scene on May 19, when two people allegedly pulled a gun on a rider, pistol-whipped him and ran off with his phone, according to police.
Investigators say the pair approached a 35-year-old man on the Fulton Street platform, displayed a firearm and struck him multiple times in the head with it before taking his cellphone and fleeing east on Fulton Street.
In a bulletin posted May 29 by NYPD Crime Stoppers, detectives released still images and a brief case summary, asking anyone with video or eyewitness information to come forward. The alert lists the English tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), a Spanish line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), and directs tipsters to the online portal at NYPD Crime Stoppers.
Police Seek Video And Witnesses
Detectives are urging subway riders and nearby businesses to check and preserve any phone, door-cam or building surveillance footage that might show the suspects, and are warning the public not to approach them.
Citywide robbery numbers are down so far this year, even as transit incidents remain under a microscope, according to NY1. A string of similar Crime Stoppers bulletins this spring has repeatedly asked New Yorkers to comb through their camera rolls for potential leads.
What Charges Could Follow
Because the suspects allegedly showed a firearm and used it to hit the victim, prosecutors could seek elevated robbery charges under New York law. Robbery can be charged in the first degree when an offender is armed with or displays what appears to be a firearm, or uses a dangerous instrument, under N.Y. Penal Law §160.15, according to legal summaries on Justia.
How To Help
Anyone with information, photos or video is asked to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), use the Spanish line at 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), or submit tips online at NYPD Crime Stoppers. Tips may be eligible for a reward if they lead to an arrest and indictment, and the department also accepts messages via X at @NYPDTips.
