4 Queens men charged with stealing tires

Four Queens men were arrested early Sunday morning and charged with stealing a dozen sets of new tires and rims from a Wantagh car dealership, the police said.

The men were arrested at around 5 a.m. Sunday after a Nassau County police officer on routine patrol saw two cars idling on Oakland Avenue just south of Sunrise Highway in Wantagh, and noticed that one car had no license plates.

A short time later when the two cars drove onto Sunrise Highway headed west, the officer stopped one of the cars, a 1997 Pontiac, and saw seven new car tires and rims in the back of the vehicle, the police said.

The officer then put out an alert for the second vehicle, a 2006 Mercedes-Benz, and another officer who stopped the Mercedes saw five new tires and rims in the back of the vehicle, the police said.

A third officer then alerted the two arresting officers that the tires and rims were taken from Merrick Dodge, at 3614 Sunrise Hwy. in Wantagh.

All four men were charged with third-degree grand larceny and possession of burglary tools.

The police arrested David Han, 19, of 150-39 Bayside Ave., Flushing; Kuang Shih, 19, of 32-30 170th St., Flushing; Steven Pai, 20, of 1835 Corporal Kennedy St., Bayside; and Jonathan Karakostas, 20, of 2045 Crescent St., Astoria. Karakostas was also charged with two counts of using a false license plate.

By BY JOSEPH MALLIA
Posted Monday, February 25, 2008

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