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Convicted Burglar Caught With Bike He Stole Using Hammer, Police Say

By Noah Hurowitz | September 7, 2016 3:34pm
 A convicted burglar used a hammer (not the one pictured) to try to break a bike lock, police said.
A convicted burglar used a hammer (not the one pictured) to try to break a bike lock, police said.
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KIPS BAY — A convicted burglar awaiting sentencing for a 2015 break-in was arrested again after an eagle-eyed passerby saw him trying to break a bike lock with a hammer, according to police.

Martin Leak, 52, of The Bronx, was caught red-handed on Aug. 30 with burglary tools and a stolen bike after a witness alerted officers to a possible theft in progress, police said.

The witness spotted Leak just after 12 p.m., hammering away at the lock of a bike parked at Park Avenue South and East 27th Street, according to a police report. 

The witness called police and officers found Leak nearby, wheeling a bike and carrying a backpack, according to authorities.

After searching him, officers found he was carrying a hammer and two hacksaws. The bike was missing a serial number, and an employee at the Brooklyn bike shop that Leak said he bought it from told officers the shop does not sell used bikes, leading police to believe the bike was stolen, officials said.

At the time of the theft, Leak was out on $30,000 bail and awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty for breaking into the office of a real estate office on West 17th Street near Union Square on Sept. 17, 2015 and stealing ink cartridges, according prosecutors.

Police booked Leak on charges of possession of burglary tools and possession of stolen property. He was released the next day after posting $2,500 bail, court records show.

The suspected bicycle thief is due back in court on Sept. 16 to answer his most recent charges, and is due in court on Oct. 5 for sentencing in connection to the burglary, according to a spokesman for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

According to Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Leak has a criminal history dating back decades, including four separate burglary convictions.

Leak’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.