A homeless man residing at the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS) in Norwood has been hit with a slew of charges after it was alleged he robbed $40 from a deli and attempted to stab a member of staff with a knife.

 

Police charged Dimetrius Adams, 28, a resident of the men’s shelter at 3600 Jerome Avenue with robbery, menacing, unlawful possession of marijuana, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, and petit larceny, following his arrest on Friday, May 1 in Norwood.

 

According to NYPD, the robbery and assault occurred around 5:30 p.m. on May 1, inside the Woodlawn & Jerome Corp. deli, located at 3598 Jerome Avenue. The business is a 24-hour deli located next to the JAMS shelter.

 

According to one police source, “Police responded to a 911 call about a robbery.” The official continued, “Upon arrival, [officers] were informed by a 30-year-old male [that] a 28-year-old male [Adams] displayed a knife and demanded currency”.

 

The victim said that Adams attempted to stab him, forcibly removed $40 in cash from the deli, and then fled on foot northbound on Jerome Avenue. The victim was treated at the scene by EMS and was later released.

 

Within minutes of their arrival at the scene, police began examining surveillance video of Adams entering the store. He was described as a heavyset Hispanic man, wearing a black bomber jacket.

 

The victim joined responding officers in searching the area. Adams was subsequently apprehended by police at Bainbridge Avenue and East 213 Street, and was identified by the victim as the man who had robbed the store. He was placed under arrest at 5:53 p.m.

 

A worker at the store said of Adams, “He’s been here a long time, always (expletive) harassing [workers]”. Asked about the provision of security by the shelter, the man behind the counter responded, “I know that… it’s BS.” A man sweeping the floor added, “That’s don’t work.”

 

Both men said that officers from the 52nd precinct responded quickly to the alert. The man with the broom added, “They should shut the shelter down. I’ve lived here for 45 years, and that place gives no benefit to this community”.

 

JAMS is a 200-bed men’s shelter run by Bronxworks for individuals with mental illness. Calls to the shelter were referred to the programs director, who was not available until Monday morning. Further calls to the shelter on Monday were not returned.

 

One shelter resident said he never saw Adams do anything criminal and described him as “a cool guy”.