NEW YORK – A 25-year-old man was arrested and charged with stealing a ceremonial sword and a megaphone from coach Rick Pitino’s office at St. John’s University, New York police said Saturday.
Emanuel Yakubov was arrested on Friday, a day after police released surveillance footage showing two men walking down a hallway in the building, one carrying the stolen sword and the other holding the megaphone.
Yakubov, who lives in Queens, where the Catholic institution is located, was charged with burglary, petty theft, trespassing and possession of stolen property, police said. He remained in custody Saturday. It was not known whether he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
According to police, the theft occurred on Tuesday evening when two people gained access to the university’s athletic department offices “without authorization” and stole numerous items before fleeing on a moped.
The second suspect was still at large on Saturday, police said.
“St. John’s University is grateful for the NYPD’s quick response and recovery of the stolen property,” university spokesman Brian Browne said in a statement. “The safety of our campus community is critical and our cooperative relationship with law enforcement helps ensure that.”
Pitino, a Hall of Fame coach born in New York City and raised on Long Island, was hired last year by St. John’s with hopes of restoring the once storied Big East program that had its heyday in the 1980s.
