UPDATED May 27, 9:35 a.m.
This robber ran on Dunkin’ — and Carvel ice cream, too.
A knife-wielding robber who held up a Dunkin’ Donuts shop in Howard Beach on Wednesday night hit two other eateries in Queens earlier this month, according to police.
The most recent stickup occurred at 11:55 p.m. on May 25 inside the eatery located at 163-02 Cross Bay Blvd.
According to authorities, the suspect — described as a black male wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, brown work boots and black and white gloves — entered the location and displayed a knife.
Authorities said the bandit then walked behind the counter and demanded that a worker open the register. The suspect then grabbed $776 in cash and fled the scene westbound on 163rd Avenue.
Officers from the 106th Precinct responded to the incident. The employee was not injured.
On Thursday night, police announced that the same suspect allegedly robbed two other Queens businesses this month in much the same fashion.
At 9:50 p.m. on May 11, authorities said, the crook visited the Carvel ice cream store at 103-21 Metropolitan Ave. in Forest Hills, displayed a knife to an employee and demanded that the register be opened. The suspect then grabbed $500 in cash out of the register and fled.
Then, at 11:30 p.m. on May 23, the suspect came calling to the Dunkin’ Donuts shop at 146-36 45th Ave. in Flushing. Police said he displayed a knife and demanded that a male worker open two cash registers. The employee complied with the request, and the suspect removed a combined $600 in cash before fleeing. The NYPD released security camera footage from this incident (see below).
NBC New York reported that the NYPD Queens Robbery Squad is investigating a possible link between the Queens holdups and an active business robbery pattern in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
