Phone ‘thief’s drop call
Dial “I” for idiot.
A Manhattan thief accused of swiping a cellphone from a teenager last year called the victim and offered him a new mobile phone to drop the charges, authorities said yesterday.
Kqwamaine Smith, 20, was out on bail for the alleged theft when he phoned the victim after somehow getting his number, sources said.
Smith allegedly tried to bribe the victim, pleading, “Did you press charges against me? We can work this out. I’ll give you money for a new phone if you drop the charges.”
The victim notified cops, and Smith was arrested Tuesday on a charge of bribing a witness.
The original theft happened on Oct. 29, when Smith and an unidentified cohort confronted the 15-year-old victim at West 116th Street and Seventh Avenue in Morningside Heights, according to court papers.
Smith demanded a BlackBerry, but the victim said he didn’t own one.
The accomplice then struck the victim in the face and Smith swiped his cellphone, court documents allege.
