By Jeff Lipton
The 17-year-old victim was walking through the park, at 385 Bayview Ave., at about 1:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 23, when she was confronted by the suspects, who knocked her to the ground, police said.
The suspects then began to punch and kick the victim as they grabbed her jewelry, which included earrings and a gold-and-diamond bracelet, as well as an undetermined amount of cash, authorities said.
The robbers then escaped by running northbound on Sheridan Boulevard, where they entered a dark vehicle driven by a fourth suspect, a male, police said.
The victim suffered bruises but refused medical attention at the scene, detectives said. The teenager later was checked out by her obstetrician to determine if any harm was done to the unborn child, according to police.
The robbers are described as three black females, one about 5 feet 1 and 150 pounds, the second said to be 5 feet 8 and 135 pounds, and the third about 5 feet 3 and 125 pounds, police said. There was no description available of the driver of the getaway vehicle, other than that he was a black male, police added.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone who can help is urged to call (800) 244-TIPS. All calls will be kept strictly confidential, police said.
We're still actively looking [for suspects] in that one, said Detective Lieutenant Gregory Detwiller, commander of the Fourth Squad.
A police spokeswoman said, It all probably happened in a three-minute span.
It is not clear if the robbers knew whether they were assaulting a pregnant woman, police said. The spokeswoman said the suspects may not have realized that she was pregnant. Some people are heavier than others and you don't notice the gain in weight, she said.
In an unrelated incident outside 385 Bayview Ave., two male suspects fired between five and eight gunshots into the courtyard and then ran away into the nearby Redfern Housing Projects on the Inwood-Far Rockaway border, police said. No one was reported injured in the incident, which took place at 11:20 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26.
Fourth Squad detectives responded, and found five spent shell casings at the scene. No motive was given for the incident.
