Police from five Queens precincts and another in Brooklyn are on the lookout for an armed robber who has struck on at least seven occasions in recent weeks.
Police say the one-man crime spree began back on Thursday, Oct. 20, when the suspect entered a Woodside convenience store at 69-03 Northern Blvd. and threatened an employee with a knife, demanding cash from the register before running off westbound toward the BQE with $2,000 in cash. There were no injuries, police said.
The suspect struck again on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 26, at the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst, where he walked into a store at 90-15 Queens Blvd., pulled a knife on the store worker and demanded cash. The employee complied and handed him $3,500 from the register and the suspect ran off westbound on Queens Boulevard, according to the NYPD.
The following night, the man hit a convenience store at 60-08 Main St. in Flushing, where he allegedly threatened a store clerk and demanded cash from the register before running off northbound on Main Street with $1,200. The worker was unharmed, police said.
The man went back to Woodside where he hit a smoke shop across the street from the 7 train transit hub on 61st Street. Once again, the suspect threatened a store worker with a blade while demanding cash from the register before running off toward 39th Avenue with $2,000. The worker was not hurt, police said.
The suspect returned to Elmhurst during the early morning of Tuesday, Nov. 1, when he robbed a Papa John’s pizzeria located at 90-35 Corona Ave. He entered the shop at 1:35 a.m. and allegedly threatened a worker with a knife. This time, the employee couldn’t open the register and the suspect fled empty-handed westbound on Corona Avenue.
The robber hit another Elmhurst smoke shop around two hours later. The suspect entered 95-01 57th Ave. just after 3 a.m. and pulled out the knife, demanding cash. The worker complied and handed over $380 and the man ran off eastbound on 57th Avenue.
He last struck in Brooklyn when he entered a Clinton Hill deli located at 497 Myrtle Ave., just before 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and threatened a worker with a knife while demanding cash from the register. The employee handed over $700 and was not harmed as the crook fled eastbound on Myrtle Avenue.
The NYPD released surveillance video on Nov. 13 that shows the suspect hitting the convenience store in Woodside last month.
Police are offering a reward of up to $3,500 for information leading to his arrest.
Anyone with information can call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.
