Valet Threatened With Gun at Mitchell's; Boy Accused of Breaking Into Middle School

The following is a roundup of recent Birmingham Police reports:

Man pulls out gun when taking keys from valet station

Detectives are investigating the theft of a set of car keys after a valet at Mitchell's Fish Market said a man stole the keys at gunpoint Saturday night.

According to police reports, the suspect and a woman left the restaurant around 11:30 p.m. Saturday and took a set of keys belonging to a Range Rover — which did not belong to the man — from the valet station. One of the valets approached the man and told him he had the wrong keys, but the man then pulled back his jacket and revealed he had a handgun tucked into his belt, reports state.

The man walked across the street and got into a white Chrysler Sebring, made a U-turn and pulled up in front of the valet stand to pick up the woman, reports state. Another valet approached the car and demanded the man return the keys, but according to police reports, the man then pulled out the gun, pointed it at the valet and told him to back up or he would shoot him.

The man and woman left the scene in the Sebring, reports said; no license plate was obtained. The officers were able to determine who the female was because of the credit card she used at the restaurant. A possible suspect's name was determined by Birmingham Police to be a man from Detroit, though detectives are still investigating. Police were not notified of the incident until 15 minutes after it had occurred.

Boy breaks into middle school to play basketball

A 16-year-old was arrested Sunday for allegedly breaking into Derby Middle School to play basketball. According to police reports, officers responded to an alarm at the middle school around 1 p.m. Sunday and found the 16-year-old playing basketball in the gym.

When officers approached the teen and told him he was in the school illegally, he became confrontational, according to police reports. While officers were escorting him outside, the boy attempted to run away, reports state, but without success. The boy was taken to the police station and was turned over to his mother.

Truck stolen from gas station overnight

Police are investigating a report that a car was stolen from a Speedway gas station at 12:05 a.m. Saturday. According to a police report, the car's owner pulled up to the gas pumps and left the vehicle — a blue 2007 Chevrolet pickup — to go inside the station, leaving the keys in the truck with the vehicle running. When the truck's owner came back outside, the vehicle was gone, the report said.

Witnesses at the gas station reported seeing a man wearing dark clothes and a backpack enter the truck and drive it away, the police report said. Detectives are checking surveillance video from the gas station.

Woman accused of taking liquor from Kroger

A 26-year-old woman from Warren was arrested Wednesday afternoon for allegedly taking nine bottles of liquor from Kroger. According to police reports, Kroger employees observed a man in the liquor aisle picking up several bottles of liquor, then handing them a woman in another aisle. They were then seen walking out the doors facing Maple without paying for anything, reports said.

The pair was stopped by Kroger employees who found five bottles of liquor in the woman's purse and four more bottles in a Kroger bag she was carrying, police reports said. The woman was arrested and charged with retail fraud; the value of the liquor was approximately $360. The man was released prior to the police officers' arrival.

Bicycle taken from outside home, another left in its place

A bicycle was stolen Feb. 9 last Thursday on the 1300 block of Maryland. According to police reports, the bicycle was left outside on the east side of the house around 5:40 p.m. A short time later, the bicycle's owner discovered it was missing, and another bicycle was left in its place, reports said.

Surveillance cameras of the area show a young man riding a bicycle up the driveway of the victim's house, leaving it and taking the victim's bicycle, reports said. Police are unsure where the first bicycle came from and are following up.

Anyone with information may call the Birmingham Police Department at 248-530-1889. If you have any questions about this report, email Laura.Houser@Patch.com