By Anthony Rifilato
Hempstead police arrested Martin Badilishamwalimu, 33, of 133-13 199th St., Hollis, after he stole a 1999 Honda Civic left unattended at a 7-Eleven in Baldwin and rammed through a police car and two civilian cars when pursued by police.
It was only after his arrest that police realized the extent of the alleged thief's crime spree.
Between Dec. 18 and Dec. 30, police said, Badilishamwalimu, who was released on parole on Dec. 17 after serving over two years in an upstate prison, was involved in four auto thefts, two petty larcenies and one robbery. Police also said that the suspect is wanted for an outstanding warrant in Georgia, where he faces a charge of physical-force robbery.
"After he was released from parole he reverted to stealing things," said Lt. Det. Andrew Fal of the First Precinct. Fal explained that drugs may have been a factor in Badilishamwalimu's crime binge.
Badilishamwalimu's spree gained momentum on Dec. 20, when he made off with two bottles of champagne from the Sherwin's Wine and Liquor Store at 1336 Grand Avenue in Baldwin at about 5:20 p.m., as recorded on the store's surveillance cameras. He then stole a 1998 Toyota Corolla, which was left running and unattended by its driver, a 31-year-old Hempstead man, who was inside the liquor store.
The next day, Badilishamwalimu hit the Baldwin Payless Shoesource at about 10:15 a.m., snagging four pocketbooks from a window display. "We were worried and scared," said Charlotte Cisco, an employee. Although Cisco wasn't in the store when the robbery occurred, she said customers saw the suspect run out of the store with the pocketbooks and co-workers were worried that he would return.
On Dec. 22, still cruising in the stolen Toyota, Badilishamwalimu allegedly robbed a woman in the Pathmark parking lot on Grand Avenue, where he pushed her to the ground.
His illegal activities continued on Dec. 23, when Badilishamwalimu allegedly traded the hot Toyota for a 2002 Chevy Cavalier from an Avis rental car office in Massapequa Park. Forty-five minutes later, he robbed a 74-year-old East Meadow woman of her purse as she loaded groceries into her car at an East Meadow supermarket.
On Dec. 30, Badilishamwalimu stole the Honda Civic at about 10:30 a.m., and a few hours later he was observed driving the car, which had been reported stolen, by Hempstead Police Sgt. Patrick Cooke. Cooke followed Badilishamwalimu and called for backup. When police officers attempted to box Badilishamwalimu in, he rammed Cooke's cruiser and two other vehicles on Peninsula Boulevard, police said.
Cooke was treated at Long Island Medical Center in Hempstead for an injury to his wrist and released.
When caught, Badilishamwalimu was hit with a long list of charges. He was charged with third-degree robbery, fourth-degree grand larceny, four counts of third-degree grand larceny, two counts of petty larceny, one count of second-degree assault, one count of reckless driving, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident and one count of unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
He was arraigned on Jan. 1.
