Car broken into
A tourist from North Carolina won’t be coming back to the Cataract City anytime soon, since he was welcomed by having his car broken into in the parking lot of the Super 8 Motel on Niagara Falls Boulevard.
The victim told city police he parked his yellow Nissan SUV in the back lot of the motel at around 10 p.m. and went to his room for some shuteye. When he returned the next morning at 6:45 a.m., the window molding around the passenger side door was hanging out of its frame and two nice Columbia outdoor wear jackets, valued at $400, were missing from the back seat. One of the jackets had a $30 Gerber pocket knife in the pocket, and a dollar in loose change on the console between the seats was also taken.
Since the online edition of the Niagara Falls Reporter enjoys an avid readership nationally and internationally, particularly among those who may be considering coming here for a visit, we’ll say it once again: There is no place in the city of Niagara Falls where it is safe to leave your possessions on the seat of your car if you yourself are not in the car. Ever. Locks are not a deterrent.
***
Meat heist thwarted
Jose Irizarry, 29, of 24th Street, is not the brightest guy in the world. In fact, he has his own name tattooed on his left arm, apparently to help him with the spelling.
He’s also very thin. Six feet tall and weighing but 150 pounds, he has very little meat on his bones. So one day last week, he decided to do something about it. He ambled over to Tops Friendly Market at 1000 Portage Road and selected $214.78 worth of the best cuts of beef money could buy. He put the packages into his shopping basket and then walked out the front door of the store without paying.
The crack loss prevention specialists employed by Tops had their eyes on the hungry looking Irizarry from the get go. He was detained in the parking lot and police were called.
Charged with petit larceny, he was released to answer the charge at a later date in Niagara Falls City Court.
***
Crazy robbery here
Employees at the 7-Eleven store over on Pine Avenue were robbed by a hoodie wearing lady bandit who threatened them with a hammer. The incident occurred at 3 a.m. last Tuesday.
Police said the woman, wearing pink shoes, black slacks and a green hoodie with the hood pulled up so her hair color could not be determined, entered the store and went to the back, where she tied a single use plastic shopping bag around her mouth and nose to make identification even more difficult.
The woman, who store employees said stood around five feet eight inches tall and weighed 130 pounds, then approached the counter.
The male clerk, noticing the hammer handle sticking out of the pocket of the woman’s hoodie, spoke first.
“You’re not going to rob me are you?” he asked. The victim later told police he felt threatened and feared for his life.
“I have no choice,” the female felon responded. “I have to do this. Give me all of the money.”
The frightened clerk opened the register nearest to him, took all the money out and gave it to her. She kept her hand near the hammer and looked disdainfully at the $30 in her hand.
“Open the other register and give me that money too,” she demanded.
The clerk explained that the other register was empty.
“OK then,” the woman said. “Give me five packs of Newports.”
The clerk gave her the cigarettes and was then hit with another demand.
She wanted all the “Lucky 7’s Playbook” lottery tickets, she said. The tickets cost $20 apiece and he gave her 47 of them.
Apparently satisfied at last, the woman left the store and the terrified clerk called police.
***
Shots fired here
Police responded to the 2200 block of Willow Avenue around noon last Tuesday for a report of gunshots.
Witnesses said that six or seven shots were fired at the same time a gray SUV was seen chasing a gray car, possibly an Impala, down the street. Both vehicles were driven by black males witnesses said. A search of the area yielded negative results and an investigation is continuing, police said.
***
Man beaten, robbed
A Niagara Falls man was beaten and robbed by three black males as he walked along East Market Street near Pine Avenue shortly before 6 o’clock one evening last week, police said. The thugs surrounded the man and told him to give them everything he had. He refused, and they knocked him to the ground and began pummeling him. Finally, they took his wallet, which contained $72. The victim was treated for injuries and released from Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and an investigation is continuing, police said.
***
Armed robbery here
The parking lot of the First Niagara Bank, 805 Main Street was the scene of an armed robbery one evening last week. Police said a man had just completed a transaction at the automatic teller machine when he was approached by two hoodie wearing black males, one of whom pointed a semi automatic pistol at him.
The man gave up the two $20 bills he’d just withdrawn, along with his credit/debit card. A passer by witnessed the robbery and alerted police, who arrived quickly but were unable to locate the suspects.