Chelsea restaurant, Wilson Mendez OED for Own Every Dollar Trinitarios gang
A vicious crew is accused of ambushing high-end New York City restaurants and forcibly stealing patrons of expensive valuables.
A Manhattan detective opened fire early Monday on suspected members of a high-end robbery ring casing a Chelsea restaurant — and who are probably connected to last month's shooting at Philippe Chow, according to police sources.
The team travels in Mercedes-Benzes and BMWs to commit its heists, which cops think total at least 12 across Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx – collecting more than $4 million in jewels and watches since August, sources said.
According to authorities, the thieves, who call themselves "OED" for "Own Every Dollar," are associated with the violent Trinitarios gang in the Bronx and are accused of at least one killing.
"They are quite nasty," a Manhattan police officer stated.
"After shooting a victim in the Uptown area, they jumped on him and took his valuables as he lay dying."
According to sources, the robbery of the dying guy looked to be an afterthought.
The ring's latest robbery occurred around 1:15 a.m. outside the popular Pergola dining and hookah bar in Chelsea, sources said. Officers noticed a BMW parked nearby that matched the description of a car associated with a string of profitable jewelry heists outside upmarket venues.
According to sources, the authorities moved in after a check revealed that a plate on the Beemer did not match the vehicle.
When officers attempted to pull over the vehicle on West 28th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues, the driver accelerated and hopped a curb, nearly colliding with numerous pedestrians, sources said.
According to sources, a cop ultimately brought the car to a halt by shooting three shots through the windshield, prompting the driver and two passengers to get out and flee.
Wilson Mendez, 19, was apprehended following a brief chase and taken to a hospital for treatment of facial cuts, sources said. According to sources, charges against him are pending.
Another male, dressed in dark clothing, vanished into neighboring Madison Square Park and is being sought, sources said. The third suspect is also being sought.
A.9mm handgun was discovered on the floor of the Beemer, which was littered with broken glass following the incident, sources said.
No one was struck by any of the bullets, and it is unknown who was driving.
Monday's incident was at least the second to be linked to Pergola, where a 34-year-old man had $100,000 worth of property stolen from him — including an Audemars Piguet watch — as he left the restaurant early on Aug. 19.
Among the others considered to be part of the pattern is the Sept. 16 burglary at the Upper East Side Chinese restaurant Philippe Chow, in which attackers snatched a Rolex wristwatch from a guy sitting outdoors.
The criminals then turned their attention to Melchior Cooke, 28, who was shot in the leg during a struggle.
On Thursday, the ring — estimated to number approximately 20 members — struck again in TriBeCa, sources said, when several members robbed the owner of a Diamond District jewelry store outside the Buddha-Bar Restaurant New York.
Among the crooks' previous heists occurred on Aug. 14, when armed men jumped out of a Mercedes-Benz and took more than $4 million in valuables, including a Richard Mille watch, from two men who had just left TAO Downtown.
According to reports, an off-duty cop was also robbed of a Tag Heuer watch outside the Silver Towers condominium apartment building on West 41st Street on Sept. 9.