UPDATE: 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, February 8: Brooklyn resident Elijah Gay, 22, was arrested Tuesday evening in connection to multiple robberies, including two on the Upper West Side, police said.
Gay was charged with robbery, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, criminal possession of a weapon, and fare evasion, police said.
One of his alleged robberies involved snatching a purse from a 90-year-old woman within the 59th Street-Columbus Circle Station, police said.
Original Story
By Gus Saltonstall
A recent string of robberies throughout Manhattan includes two incidents on the Upper West Side where elderly women had their wallets and purses snatched, police said on Tuesday.
Police are looking for a man connected to five robberies in various parts of the borough from November 12 to February 2.
Locally, at 5:20 p.m. on January 26, a 76-year-old woman was in the 72nd Street and Broadway 1, 2, 3 station, when a man approached and grabbed her wallet, police said. He then fled the station, NYPD added.
A few days later on February 2, a 90-year-old woman was standing in the 59th Street-Columbus Circle Station at around 6 p.m., when a man came up behind her and snatched her purse, police said. The purse contained her credit cards and hearing aids, which the NYPD valued at approximately $6,000.
Neither women was hurt in the incidents.
The three earlier robberies took place on the Lower East Side and Upper East Side, according to police.
NYPD describes the suspect as 20 to 25 years old.
Anyone with information in regard to 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).
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It looks like two completely different guys, but it’s hard to tell with these surveillance cameras. The quality is so bad.
It’s the same guy, the photos have different color balance. Look at the logo on both jacket and pants.
What a cowardly punk.
Before people get carried away, a little information: this would most likely be fourth-degree grand larceny, a class E felony, for which you can get 1-5 years, It is generally not a bailable offense (i.e., the defendant will not be punished for the crime until he is actually convicted of committing it), unless the defendant is already on parole, probation, or pretrial release.
What if there are oustanding arrest warrants? Also, does what you say factor in the age of the victims? I ask not being a lawyer and seeking information.
I don’t think it’s built in, but it *might* be considered as part of special circumstances arguing that the defendant would not make his appearance in court. While sometimes the victim’s being a child can increase the severity of the felony or add additional charges, there is no special consideration given to victims who are seniors.
Also, I should modify my statement to add that they might charge class D, depending on what the actual value of the hearing aids is (used hearing aids…decline in value quickly). The cutoff is $3K. That would yield a sentence of 1-3 to 2.33-7 years. They might charge it even if they’re not positive they can prove the value of the hearing aids, to avoid having to go through a re-charging later.
“there is no special consideration given to victims who are seniors.”
I thought that assaults on seniors are felonies. In this case, it the relevant fact the classification, NOT as assault, but ONLY as larceny?
Assault does jump to second degree if it’s on a senior (or someone under 10), but I don’t believe there’s any such provision for larceny.
Those don’t look like Covid masks. Remember when wearing face masks was a sign of a criminal?
It is time for NYC to take the safety of its residents and taxpayers into consideration. While persons carrying out these attacks may be a small percentage of the population they feel immune to prosecution. The DA and the City MUST change the policies that seem to support that belief.
Bragg didn’t even have his office request bail for the supposed migrants who attacked two police officers in Times Square. Another commentator wrote that four of these guys have since fled the city.
Get rid of Bragg!
Is D.A. an elected position? Upon taking office, Bragg shut down Cyrus Vances’s nearly-ready Trump case .
…As it turns out, ICE was lying/mistaken about that: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/ice-migrants-custody-nypd-officers-attacked-times-square/5113407/
Bragg is concerned about accurate identification of the assailants, presumably for some good reason (we aren’t getting the police reports). Imagine being in a strange land with three dollars to your name, maybe not speaking the language, getting swept up in some response to an assault on a cop, and getting locked up before you’re even tried. That would be a nightmare! (That said, I do think there are other circumstances in which not having local ties might weigh in favor of exercising discretion to ask for bail.)
I appreciate your thought-out responses, Sarah.
I don’t see how the Arizona report grounds a conclusion that Bragg’s office should not have sought bail. Isn’t the relevant point this, sc. were the guys arrested in Times Square reasonably well identified as the guys who assaulted the police officers? If they were, then why is it not reasonable to request bail? Isn’t there reasonable likelihood that someone charged with assaulting a police officer will vamoose?
Aggravated assault on a police officer is actually a bail-eligible offense. However, it requires intent to cause a serious injury, resulting in serious injury. “Serious injury” has a special definition under the law and punching and kicking *may* not produce injuries to that level (if there is official reporting on the nature and extent of the cops’ injuries, I haven’t seen it).
From what Bragg has said, I think there is some question as to whether they *are* all reasonably well identified. I don’t think we have the information to judge. Putting someone on Rikers for what will be months at the very least is a big deal (not to mention expensive for the taxpayer), so if there’s some reason to have significant doubt about their involvement, it may be reasonable not to do so. It’s a judgment call. I don’t believe that bail should be completely abolished. In some circumstances, it is a necessary, but highly imperfect, expedient.
Who is raising these criminals? Targeting elderly citizens is the lowest of the low.
A big “thank you” to the NYPD and those who provided tips and other assistance.
Lord help us if he’s immediately released with no required bail.
Hopefully, he’ll get some job training during an extended stay in prison.
Has Mr. Gay been “Bragged-out” with no bail?
what an absolute coward. wow