Nov. 1, 2024 By Bill Parry
Police from the 115th Precinct are looking for a suspect who attacked a young boy in broad daylight before robbing him near the Helen Marshall Playground in East Elmhurst and remains at large more than a week later.
The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, as a 12-year-old child was walking near the intersection of 100th Street and 25th Avenue when a stranger approached the youngster from behind and placed him in a chokehold, police said. The perpetrator then forcibly removed the kid’s cell phone and ran off southbound on 100th Street toward 27th Avenue. The victim refused medical attention at the crime scene.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect as he ran off and described him as having a dark complexion and a slim build. He wore a black face covering, a red hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants, and bright red sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this robbery investigation 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 Oct. 27, the 115th Precinct has reported 356 robberies so far in 2024, 67 more than the 289 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 23,2%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Felony assaults are also way up in the precinct, with 536 so far this year, 137 more than the 399 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 34.3%, according to CompStat.