By Gus Saltonstall
A 60-year-old man was robbed Wednesday afternoon on the Upper West Side by two men who said they had a gun, a police spokesperson told West Side Rag.
The man was standing near West 70th Street and Broadway at around 1:45 p.m., when the two men approached him, police said. The duo told the 60-year-old that they had a gun and took the man’s laptop, the NYPD added.
The pair then fled east on West 70th Street toward Central Park, police said.
There have been no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story, please check back in for updates.
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And so it continues and so it will continue until the Manhattan DA’s office starts treating crime seriously again and the police can start policing again…
I don’t understand your comment about the Manhattan DA. The DA has no control over policing. That’s the Mayor and the Police Commissioner. After there is an arrest, the DA decides what are legitimate charges to pursue, but that’s it. It seems like whenever a crime is committed, it becomes an excuse for people to just complain about whoever it is they don’t like and blame them for the crime. Nothing will get fixed with know-nothing complaints.
The policies of the Manhattan DA have incentivized criminals — they know they won’t go to jail. Further, recidivists drive much, if not most, of crime. A full third of NYC shoplifting is done by roughly 330 recidivists. The DA not only drops charges, he routinely downgrades felonies. But you are right it’s not just Bragg. It’s our City Council, Governor, and the state legislature who enacted the ludicrous slate of anti-safety measures under the guise of “reform” — all without the input of a single law enforcement professional.
I think this response is a bit too simplistic. Yes, the may and PC “control” policing and not the DA. However, the DA can decide what charges to bring or they can decide not to bring charges at all. Further, they have the ability to reduce charges in connection with a plea bargain – as a result, someone who could be charged with a felony (that could lead to jail time) could plead to a misdemeanor and receive no jail time.
I think the answer is much more complicated. You need to have local politicians pushing for crackdowns on crime and then holding the police department accountable for enforcing these laws. We read a lot of comments on the WSR demanding police simply enforce existing laws. That’s easily said, but if you have local politicians not caring about a particular issue then that has to trickle down to the police department. You need to overhaul bail reform (I feel it has moved drastically away from its intent) and prosecutors need to be willing to try cases rather than plead out.
So commonplace, no need for comment. Sad.
Middle of the day, busy street corner, UWS neighborhood. Can’t wait to see the follow up on this. Let’s see if they have previous arrests. I somehow doubt they just decided let’s buy a gun and rob someone!
This is the block where the Stratford Arms, a big migrant shelter, is located. It is also where the Blessed Sacrament school is located. What the heck is going on?
99.9% they never had a gun. How did they know that was a laptop?
Did he just buy it @ Apple store? And used one of their bags? Or a briefcase/carrier?
We need more police in our district. You can point the finger at our elected’s in this respect. Our neighborhood is a disaster – and need not be. City Council election is next year. Mark your calendars neighbors.! We need better….time to move on Brewer!
Interesting that the photo used here and with other Crime posts is an image of a police car. The end of neighborhood patrolling, while the NYPD is awash in funds, means criminals know they can get away with sticking people up in broad daylight.
Don’t count on the NYPD to keep us safe!
It’s not the police, it’s the elected officials that we voted (and vote) in.
Wow. Middle of the day, in a heavily trafficked area.
But it’s not as bad as to 70’s and 80’s!! Derrrr
It was worse then. But we were used to higher crime levels. That doesn’t mean today’s levels are acceptable.
No, it’s not.
But this is bad.
Where’s the camera footage? There must be many cameras around there.
These criminals know they can get away with just about anything. That is the problem. I’m sure they have prior records whether it be here in the US or whatever country they came from if they are migrants. We must keep criminals in jail !!!
Can’t blame Duane Reade now-