BROOKLYN — A suspected serial cellphone thief was nabbed recently after investigators used some of the stolen devices to pinpoint his location, then watched him for hours and caught him jaywalking, police said.
Keishawn Watson, 16, was arrested Oct. 14 after police spotted him jaywalking on Caton Avenue near St. Paul's Place in Flatbush, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Brooklyn District Attorney's office.
Victims of recent cellphone thefts then identified Watson in line-ups as the person who had stolen their phones, said officials with the 78th Precinct.
Watson was arraigned Nov. 30 on five counts of grand larceny, three counts of petty larceny and six counts of criminal possession of stolen property, according to court records. Watson's defense attorney declined to comment.
Watson's arrest helped close "numerous" cellphone theft cases in two other precincts in addition to the 78th Precinct, police said at the Nov. 24 78th Precinct Community Council meeting, where two of the officers involved in the arrest were awarded "Cop of the Month."
Watson was part of a group of young thieves who approached their victims on bikes, often riding up from behind and snatching the phone out of the victim's hand while they were talking on it, officials with the 78th Precinct said when they awarded the Cop of the Month honor.
The string of thefts included a Sept. 26 incident where a woman had her phone stolen as she was looking up directions on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street in Park Slope, according to a criminal complaint.
Watson was also charged in connection with two separate cellphone thefts near East 18th Street and Caton Avenue in Flatbush on June 23, and an Oct. 11 cellphone theft near Ft. Hamilton Parkway and 41st Street in Borough Park, according to an indictment.
Investigators reviewed video and witness statements to identify a list of suspects in the thefts, then "pinged" two of the stolen phones to one of the suspect's houses, officials with the 78th Precinct said.
After "numerous hours of surveillance," two 78th Precinct officers spotted Watson jaywalking in a large group and arrested him, police at the precinct said.
The series of cellphone thefts led to a "large increase" in grand larcenies in the 78th Precinct in October, police said. The precinct had 59 grand larcenies in October, compared to 40 during the month of September, according to NYPD statistics.
"After that arrest it slowed down, but we still want people to realize they're easy targets if they’re walking around with their phones out," said 78th Precinct Commanding Officer Frank DiGiacomo. "Just be aware."
