INWOOD — Police arrested an ex-con shortly after he claimed to be armed and robbed a man of his cellphone in the vestibule of the victim's building, a police source said.
Ames Figueroa, 24, who got out of state prison in June after serving about eight months for third degree robbery, stuck his hand in his pocket, said he had a gun and forced the 22-year-old victim into the doorway of his apartment building on Broadway near Cumming Street about 12:30 a.m. Thursday, the source said. He took the victim's phone and fled.
After searching the area, police from the 34th precinct arrested Figueroa about 1 a.m. Thursday, according to court records. Figueroa had the victim’s phone on him at the time of the arrest, the source said. It was unclear whether he had a gun.
He had not yet been arraigned as of Friday morning.
Information about his lawyer was not immediately available.
The police source said that Figueroa has a long criminal history, and the state Department of Corrections said he has a conviction for third-degree burglary.
Court records and the Manhattan District Attorney's office also show that Figueroa has pending court dates in two other incidents, including a September 29 arrest for auto stripping and criminal mischief, as well as a May 13 arrest for unlicensed driving. The criminal complaint for the May incident says that Figueroa's license was suspended for a drug- or alcohol-related offense.
Robberies in the 34th Precinct are down nearly 15 percent this year, from 202 at this point last to 172, NYPD data shows.
