A group of people robbed, roughed up, and stole the car (and pie) of a pizza delivery person early Wednesday.
Here’s what happened, in the words of police spokesman Officer David Hartman:
Just after midnight, a courier for a local pizza joint had driven to the double-digit block of Ford Street with a delivery.
Officers Jakub Baliga took the robbery call. The bruised 38-year-old deliveryman told Baliga he spotted two women who he suspected the pizza was for. He also noticed three young men running toward him. He had an uneasy feeling and asked the women to take their pizza.
The women grabbed the food, stiffed him on the purchase and walked off. At the same time, one of the three men had jumped behind the wheel of his running, eleven year old Hyundai Sonata. Another man got in the back seat. The victim said he tried getting the men out of his car, when the third pushed something to the back of his neck. He turned to see that it was a black semi-automatic pistol. The man kept the gun leveled toward the victim until he was in the car. The three crooks sped off.
The victim refocused his attention to the two women – now down the block with the pizza. He said he caught up with them and struggled to detain one. He said he’d no sooner wrapped his arms around one of the thieves, when his car pulled up. The three men got out and began beating him up. The girls joined in — all five punching him as he shouted for help. His five assailants got into his car and sped off, turning south onto Dixwell Avenue.
Though bruised, the victim declined treatment.
The victim’s phone, which was in the car, was traced to Harding Place. Cops recovered it there and sent it to be processed for forensic evidence. Stolen from the courier was a couple hundred in cash, a $1,000 iPhone X and his wallet containing credit cards and his ID.
The five perps are wanted for first degree robbery, second degree larceny, third degree assault and second degree breach of peace. Add carrying a dangerous weapon and reckless endangerment for the guy with the gun.
Perpetrator one is a black female, 13 – 16 years of age, short afro-style haircut, thin build, clad in a white sleeveless shirt and dark pants. Perpetrator two is a black female, 13 – 16 years of age, short, thin build, dark hair, grey shirt and shorts.
Perpetrator three is a black male, 13 – 16 years of age, short, short dark hair, thin build, white sleeveless shirt, and black shorts. Perpetrator four is a black male, 13 – 16 years of age, tall, thick build, clad in a white shirt and dark colored shorts, in possession of a black handgun. Perpetrator five is a black male, 13 – 16 years of age, short, thin build, clad in a yellow shirt and dark pants.
Hours later, the victim and a friend got a hit on his stolen phone. They tracked it to a back yard on Harding Place, where they recovered it. It was undamaged. Officer Jason Jemiola canvased the area and later on found the victim’s wallet, minus his bank card.
The crooks remain at large.
Our judicial system ceasing to coddle repeat felons who happen to be under 18 would go a long way towards reducing the instances of robbery, auto theft, and gun violence in the greater NH area.
It's good to look for ways to rehabilitate in the long term, but as taxpayers, I think we would all benefit from some protection in the short term.