Roosevelt man threatens robbery victim with pliers, cops say
Westley Witts, 27, of Roosevelt, was charged with first-degree robbery and other charges on Sunday, June 25, 2017. Credit: NCPD
A plier-wielding man who stole a bicycle early Sunday morning in Roosevelt was nabbed by cops after the victim fought back, police said.
Westley Witts, 27, of Bennett Avenue, Roosevelt, was in front of 332 Nassau Rd. — a Western Beef supermarket — at 1:36 a.m. Sunday when he approached a 53-year-old man and told him he was going to take his bicycle, Nassau police said.
“The victim tried to stop him but the defendant grabbed a pair of vice grips and threatened the victim,” police said in a news release, using the term “vice grips” to describe curved-jaw locking pliers. “He then jabbed the victim in the stomach with the bicycle and a struggle ensued.”
Witts refused to comply with officers’ verbal commands to drop the pliers when they arrived, police said.
“He then began to show aggression toward the officers,” police said. “The defendant resisted arrest and a brief struggle ensued, he was placed under arrest at 2:08 a.m.”
Witts was charged with first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest.
He’s set to be arraigned Monday in First District Court in Hempstead.
It’s unclear whether Witts has an attorney.
Nicole Fuller is Newsday's senior criminal justice reporter. She began working at Newsday in 2012 and previously covered local government.
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