By Nicole Falco
According to detectives, the suspects used fear and physical force, and in at least one instance a mechanic's wrench, to commit the crimes. In other instances the suspects threatened to use a knife or gun but a weapon was not displayed, police said. The victims were all Valley Stream and North Valley Stream teenagers. Among the items reported stolen were cell phones, iPods, a Walkman, a pocketbook, a wallet and a jacket. No injuries were reported.
The suspects, Andrew W. Chambers, 17, of 258-07 Craft Ave., and Ricardo and Paul C. Rowe, both 17, of 245-56 148th Drive, were each charged with eight counts of second-degree robbery and one count of second-degree forgery for the alleged use of a credit card belonging to one of the victims. The suspects could face additional charges as detectives investigate other robberies in the community that took place under similar circumstances, according to Detective Sgt. John Roden of the 5th Squad.
Police were led to the suspects after a quick-thinking witness jotted down the license plate number of an SUV, later determined to be a 1999 Mercury Mountaineer, that was spotted leaving the scene of one of the robberies. After tracing the license plate number, police were led to an auto body shop in the 3rd Precinct.
"The owner of the vehicle had left the vehicle with a repair shop and the repair shop was going to sell it," Roden said. "It was lent out and being test-driven by a family member of one of the defendants, and one of the defendants was using the vehicle [unbeknown] to the family member.
"We had a plate number, and detectives were able to backtrack, stake out a location and, after observing that location, detectives observed the vehicle with the trio of defendants inside," Roden said.
The loot from some of the robberies was recovered when the suspects were arrested, according to Roden.
Six of the robberies linked to the defendants were committed on March 13 and 27, according to officer Stan Slevinski, 5th Precinct crime analyst. On March 13, three robberies were committed within 30 minutes and a few blocks of one another. The first occurred at 2:35 p.m. on Kent Road near Edgewood Road. Approximately 15 minutes later, a 16-year-old reported being confronted as he was walking along Judith Lane. Then, at 3 p.m., another teen reported being approached on Cloverfield Road while he was talking on his cell phone.
Two weeks later, three more robberies were committed, this time within an hour and a half and several blocks of one another. On March 27 at 3:50 p.m., a 15-year-old was robbed while he walked along Ethel Street near Lyon Street. Less than an hour later, also on Ethel Street, a 16-year-old girl had her pocketbook stolen. And at 5:10 p.m., a 17-year-old was robbed of her cell phone on Ormonde Boulevard near Everett Street, police said.
Additional robberies were reported on Feb. 7, on Myer Avenue, and March 22, on Fletcher Avenue.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
