By Jeff Lipton
Police arrested Michael D. Koegel, an 18-year-old homeless and unemployed youth, at 5:05 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 29, in front of 299 Wanser Avenue in Inwood, where he was hanging out with friends, said Det. John Clinton of the Fourth Squad. He was arrested by Fourth Precinct Police Officers James Harnedy and Kevin Donohue.
Earlier, police had arrested Kirk Smith, 17, of Inwood, and a 15-year-old Inwood boy, whose name is being withheld because he is a minor, and charged them in the mini-crime wave, Clinton said. He added that Koegel had lived in a foster home in Nassau County prior to the robbery spree.
The crimes took place between 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5 and the seven victims were all youths.
They [the suspects] would walk down the street and eventually find some youths that they felt confident they could overcome, Clinton said. They would then confront them and demand the money they had on them, and take it out of their pockets. They would also take whatever else they had on them.
This all happened within a few hours. There were no weapons used, but physical force, threats and intimidation. They made threats that if they didn
