Manhattan

The bandit who held up nearly 20 downtown stores since September was arrested yesterday, police said.

Herbert Rodriguez, 35, of Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of robbery and criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly holding up 18 stores at gunpoint between Sept. 18 and this past Tuesday. Two thieves stole more than $1,000 in property after breaking into three cars in the East Village, authorities said yesterday.

The crime spree Monday began when David Marquez, 35, and Damien Montero, 26, allegedly smashed a window on a Hyundai parked on East 9th Street and stole several electronic items.

The pair later allegedly used a gravity knife to cut through the canvas roof of a Porsche and stole unspecified property.

Then they broke into the trunk of a Geo Prism and swiped several items, sources said.

A cop saw the last theft and grabbed the suspects.

A DA’s spokeswoman said the two were charged with grand larceny and criminal mischief.

A man was arrested in connection with last week’s double murder in Morningside Heights, polices said yesterday.

For unknown reasons, Marvin Holmes, 45, shot Willie Wood, 51, and Nathalie Gadsen, 39, in the head in an apartment on West 115th Street at Manhattan Avenue at 10:46 p.m. last Friday, cops said.

Woods dies that night at St. Luke’s Hospital. Gadsen died there the following afternoon.

Police on Wednesday tracked down Holmes, who was charged with murder and weapon possession.

A bloody fingerprint led to the arrest of a burglar who broke into a Chelsea burger restaurant in April and swiped thousands of dollars in cash and property, authorities said yesterday.

Police were waiting for Danny Horne, 42, when he got off a bus Tuesday after returning from an upstate drug-rehab facility, sources said.

At 11 p.m. on April 27, Horne allegedly smashed a glass panel of the front door and entered Burgers and Cupcakes on West 23rd Street near Eighth Avenue.

He pried open an office door and stole $3,000 in cash, a computer and a digital camera, cops said.

During the theft, Horne allegedly cut himself and left a bloody print at the scene.

The next day, the owner discovered the break-in and police linked Horne to the print.

Police grabbed a thief who broke into a hospital worker’s car in Murray Hill and stole property, authorities said yesterday.

Luis Ayala, 25, was spotted rummaging through the vehicle at East 33rd Street and Second Avenue at 3:30 a.m. Monday by a co-worker of the car’s owner, sources said.

The co-worker confronted Ayala, who had swiped credit cards, an iPod charger, scissors, jeans and a nurse’s outfit, cops said. Ayala ran and the co-worker gave chase, police said.

Patrol cops joined in the pursuit and grabbed Ayala, who was charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property, the DA’s spokeswoman said.

A burglar was arrested for attacking a man returning to his Lower East Side apartment, police sources said yesterday.

The incident occurred at 10:43 p.m. Monday, when the 39- year-old resident put his key in his front-door lock and found it had been pried loose, cops said.

Suddenly, Yvette Medina, 37, lunged out of the Columbia Street apartment, which was in disarray, sources said.

Medina allegedly attempted to bite the victim, who called police. Medina was charged with burglary.

Brooklyn

A bat-wielding deli clerk threatened a customer who complained about not having enough ham in his sandwich, authorities said yesterday.

The clerk, Guillermo Baez, 42, clashed with the 56-year-old man in the bodega on Stanley Avenue in East New York at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, sources said.

Baez offered to return the customer’s money, but the customer continued complaining, cops said. That infuriated Baez, who allegedly grabbed a bat and waved it at the victim.

Cops arrested Baez, who was charged with attempted assault and menacing.

A teenager slashed a man in Brownsville after accusing him of staring at his girlfriend, authorities said yesterday.

Ryan McCray, 19, ran up to the 32-year-old victim on Rockaway Parkway near Sutter Avenue at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, sources said.

He asked, “Why are you looking at my girl?” and allegedly slashed the victim in the arm with a sharp object.

McCray fled but was soon captured by cops and charged with assault.

The victim received stitches at Brookdale Hospital.

A man was fighting for his life yesterday after being attacked, police said.

The 21-year-old man was dropped off by an unknown person at 7 a.m. at Interfaith Hospital on Atlantic Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

He had been struck in the head for unknown reasons.

Police were trying to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack.

Staten Island

Police grabbed a Tottenville man on marijuana and weapon charges after executing a search warrant at his home, authorities said yesterday.

At 11:25 a.m. Tuesday, cops entered the Yetman Avenue residence at Pittsville Avenue and found a bag of marijuana in a bedroom, sources said. The officers also discovered a .38-caliber gun and ammunition in a safe.

Police soon nabbed the suspect, Michael Russo, 18, a block away, on Hylan Boulevard.