106th Precinct Police Officer Timothy Ryan was honored last week with the Cop of the Month award for September in recognition of his excellent police work.
Ryan arrested an alleged purse snatcher in Ozone Park and returned a stolen wallet to the victim, a crime that Commanding Officer Dep. Inspector Joseph Courtesis said is often a difficult one for police to solve.
After momentarily stepping away from her station, a hostess at the IHOP onLiberty Avenue said she noticed that her wallet was missing from her open handbag. Ryan responded to the call and reviewed the store’s video surveillance tape, which showed a clear picture of an individual removing the wallet from the hostess’ bag.
A few days later, Ryan spotted a familiar-looking person exiting a store on Liberty Avenue. He later remembered him as the suspect in the IHOP purse snatching. For the next two weeks, the officer scoured area stores looking for the alleged perpetrator. His efforts finally paid off when he spotted the suspect in a shop not far from the IHOP and arrested him.
Police said the man had the stolen property on him when he was apprehended.
The purse-snatching suspect has 20 prior arrests, including two for robbery, three for grand larceny and seven for narcotics violations, Courtesis said.
