A 72-year-old man was pistol-whipped during an armed robbery at the Soul Deli in St. Albans on the night of Thursday, May 1, and the perpetrator remains at large weeks later.
Police from the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica responded to the scene at 203-01 Hollis Avenue and found the wounded senior bloodied and battered inside the Black-owned deli, known across Southeast Queens for its hospitality and soul food.
Investigators determined the victim is a store employee who noticed a stranger entering the establishment at 6:45 p.m. The suspect approached him and pulled out a firearm that he used to strike the worker in the head. The assailant proceeded to punch the senior multiple times in the head, an NYPD spokesman said Thursday.
The suspect then removed $200 from the cash register and snatched the wounded worker’s wallet containing an additional $200 in cash before leaving the Soul Deli. He was last seen on foot traveling northbound on 203rd Street toward 109th Avenue. The victim sustained injuries to his head and refused medical attention at the crime scene
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Wednesday and described him as having a dark complexion. He was last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt, gray jeans, and dark-colored shoes.
Anyone with information regarding this armed robbery investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through May 11, the 103rd Precinct has reported 107 robberies so far in 2025, 21 fewer than the 128 reported at the same point last year, a decline of 16.4%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Felony assaults are on the rise in the precinct with 252 reports so far this year, 10 more than the 142 reported at the same point in 2024, an increase of 4.1%, according to CompStat.
