Police Reports: Department Acknowledges Robberies in Recent Weeks

acknowledged a robbery Tuesday at Noodles & Co., 7700 W. State St. in the Village, and a robbery at another Wauwatosa business in March on North Avenue, but declined to release details yet on either crime, citing sensitive ongoing investigations.

The Noodles burglary was widely reported earlier this week by broadcast media, apparently based only on police scanner traffic. But Wauwatosa police never released details of the crime to any media, and told Patch on Friday only that three suspects entered the store at closing time and held up employees, with no customers present.

Information on the March robbery was accidentally revealed in a database available to reporters at both Wauwatosa Patch and Wauwatosa NOW, but both publications agreed to respect the Detectives Bureau’s request to wait for authorized approval of reports before revealing any details.

We can report that no one was harmed in either robbery. Patch will provide further information when reports on the crimes are approved.

Two more recent robberies were detailed in approved reports, , and another of a man in a supermarket parking lot that was approved only after our last pickup of crime reports.

Man accosted in supermarket parking lot

According to that report:

On April 5, an Oak Creek man reported that at about 12:45 p.m., he was robbed of cash in the parking lot of the Pick ‘n Save store at 1717 N. Mayfair Rd. by a suspect who displayed a gun.

The victim was driving to work at the Mobil gas station at 12331 W. North Ave. when he stopped at the supermarket to buy a cashier’s check at the bank inside. He took cash out of his wallet and was counting it when a car pulled up behind his, blocking him in.

A moment later, a stranger rapped his knuckle on his window and called, “Give me your money.” The robber then pulled back his coat and put his hand on the handle of a pistol in his waistband, the victim said. He said the robber did not pull the gun but was clearly threatening to.

The victim rolled down his window and handed over his money. The robber walked back to his car and drove away. The victim got out to try and get the robber’s license number, but the getaway car had no rear plate.

The victim then drove to work at the Mobil station, where a co-worker urged him to call police, which he did about 20 minutes after the robbery occurred.

He described the suspect as a Hispanic man, 28 to 35 years old, 5-feet, 7-inches to 5-feet, 9-inches tall, of medium build and with two to three days’ growth of beard.

The car was described as a dark green late-90s model Dodge Intrepid, with the rear “Intrepid” emblem missing the letter “d.”

Other recent crime incidents

Thursday

A resident of the 400 block of North 71st Street reported that overnight someone had entered her unlocked car in her driveway and stolen an iPod, a GPS unit and a small amount of cash. The owner said she had forgotten to lock her car the night before because she was unloading groceries.

Wednesday

A resident of the 1400 block of North 120th Street reported that overnight someone had rifled her unlocked car in her driveway and stolen 50 cents in pennies, a bottle of Brittany Spears perfume and a box of Bounce dryer sheets. The owner said she knew something was wrong the moment she got into her car because it smelled like cigarette smoke.

A resident of the 1600 block of North 119th Street reported that overnight someone had entered her unlocked car in her open garage and stolen her driver’s license, cash, a GPS unit and several gift cards. Her wallet and its contents were left strewn outside the garage.

Another resident of the same block reported his unlocked car was entered overnight and his GPS unit was stolen. He said that his door locks don’t work.

Tuesday

A resident of the 7600 block of West Clarke Street reported that overnight someone was able to unlock his car in his driveway and steal a GPS unit. He had left a window part-way down and the thief was able to reach in and unlock the door.

At 5:32 p.m., two 18-year-old Milwaukee women were arrested for theft after they were caught trying to steal four pairs of jeans from at . They had put the jeans in a large foil-lined bag to defeat security detectors, and one of the women said the items she was stealing were intended as a birthday gift for her sister.

At 4:36 p.m., a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman was arrested for theft after she was caught trying to steal $68 worth of merchandise from Discovery Clothing, 2857 N. Mayfair Road. She had stuffed the items in her purse and set off a security alarm when she left the store.

A Wauwatosa man reported that some time between 2:45 and 3:15 p.m. someone smashed a window in his car while it was parked in a lot in the 10600 block of West Capitol Drive, and stole electronic equipment, personal items and textbooks. The man’s backpack and some of his property, including a scientific calculator and a calculus textbook, were recovered by Milwaukee police Wednesday in the 8200 block of Capitol and returned.

Monday

A resident of the 500 block of North 107th Street reported that between 6:30 and 10:21 p.m. someone broke into her home and stolen cash and a television set. Police found that a basement window had been removed to gain entry. The burglar or burglars also tried to steal another TV set but were unable to remove it from a wall mount. Officers also discovered that the service door to her detached garage had been pried open and a screw gun was stolen.

A retired resident of the 6800 block of Terrace Court reported that some time overnight someone drained half the water out of his backyard fish pond and left 20 of his 30 goldfish stranded and dead. The man said he suspected neighborhood kids to be the culprits.

The owner of a semi-trailer rental company in Milwaukee reported that some time in the past two months someone stole a 45-foot trailer that had been parked at Penzey Spices, 12001 W. Capitol Dr.

Sunday

At 12:36 a.m., a 23-year-old Wauwatosa man was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver after he was stopped in the 2000 block of North 68th Street for having an expired registration. He smelled strongly of marijuana and a search revealed 10 bags of the drug totaling 81.5 grams, or about 3 ounces.