Big and Tall mistake 3 men charged in clothing store thefts

      It was a big and tall order, but three suspected thieves were unable to fulfill it, thanks to quick thinking by local sales associates and precise teamwork by the Lynbrook and Fourth Precinct Police. In a cooperative effort, three Queens men were arrested in East Rockaway and charged with stealing merchandise at two of Nassau's Casual Male Big and Tall stores on Wednesday, Feb. 14, police said.
      According to Fifth Squad detectives, two men entered the Big and Tall Store at 679 Sunrise Highway in Lynbrook around noon.
      "I was at the rear of the store when these two men came in, and just started stacking shirts," said Tremone Smith, assistant manager."I knew something was wrong, because they were too small for the merchandise, so I told them repeatedly to put the shirts down."
      But the two men took the shirts and left, and as they walked out the door, Smith said one of them turned and said "thank you." Meanwhile, a female sales associate had already begun to dial 911, Smith said.
      "We received a call around 12:09 from Repp Limited, which is the parent company of Big and Tall, about a snatch and run," said Lynbrook police officer Gil Martin.
      Before the car drove away, a male store associate ran to the parking lot and took down its make, model and license plate number.
      "It was a red Ford Probe with North Carolina plates," said Smith.
      The two men fled in the vehicle, which was driven by a third man, police said, and was last seen headed southbound on Broadway by Lynbrook police officer Donna Goldman.
      A notification was broadcast, after which Fourth Precinct police officer Tom Tumminello observed the vehicle on Main Street in East Rockaway, Lynbrook police said. Officers then observed the car as it pulled into the Wendy's Restaurant parking lot off of Ocean Avenue.
      "It was apparent that the car ducked into the lot to elude police," said Martin. While the driver and rear passenger remained inside the vehicle, police said the front passenger bolted out and fled on foot.
      "He ran across the street and headed northbound about a half mile, by the railroad tracks," said Martin. "He then changed direction and headed south, and jumped a six-foot fence off Scranton Avenue."
      About 15 officers were involved in the chase, police said, until the man was finally apprehended in the side yard of a Denton Avenue home.
      "He tried to dodge between two houses," said Martin. Because the pursuit had occurred in East Rockaway, the arrests were made by Fourth Precinct officers Robert Rettinger and Vincent Urcuiolio, with the assistance of Lynbrook officer Martin.
      The suspect was later identified as Terrance Hunter, 20, of Far Rockaway. Also arrested, at their vehicle in the Wendy's lot, were Frank Spencer, 26, of Arverne and Jair Lipscombe, 18, of Jamaica. Officer Goldman accompanied Smith to the scene of the arrest, where Smith identified two of the men as the ones who entered the Lynbrook store, police said.
      However, a search of the car's contents and a second pile of clothes found in the trunk amounted to more merchandise than the Lynbrook store could account for, police said.
      "The store tags were all the same, but some codes suggested a different source," said officer Martin.
      An investigation revealed that a similar theft took place at another Big and Tall at 167 Old Country Rd., Carle Place only minutes before the Lynbrook incident. At that location, police said, two males had also entered and removed merchandise, exited the store and fled in a red auto driven by a third subject.
      "We recovered a quantity of extra large pants and shirts, which are popular items among today's youth. Chances are they intended to sell these items within city limits," said Martin.
      All three men were charged with grand larceny, a felony charge, because the value of clothing taken in each incident exceeded $1,000.
      "I feel very good about it," Smith said of the arrests. "I don't like when things are taken from my store."
      "This was a case of good, heads-up police work, and we received valuable assistance from the Fourth Precinct. Martin further complimented the Fourth Precinct for the number of officers patrolling the area at that time.
      "We've had a good, long history of assistance between the Fourth and Fifth Precincts, and from the Malverne and Rockville Centre police," said Fred Fusswinkel, Lynbrook detective. "They've been very helpful to us when these incidents occur."
      All three men were arraigned Thursday, Feb. 15 at First District Court in Hempstead.