Police say a robbery in Westbury is being investigated as part of an ongoing investigation involving a string of knife-point robberies occuring all over Nassau County.
According to Nassau County Police, an African American male armed with a large kitchen knife entered the 7-11 at 635 Powells Lane on May 18 at 12:30 a.m., approached the counter and demanded the clerk to open the cash register. After removing an undisclosed amount of money, he fled the store and was last seen heading southbound on Powells Lane on foot.
The crime is thought to be part of a pattern occuring all over Nassau County. At a press conference last month, Nassau County Police Department Detective Lt. Richard LeBrun said that there has been a robbery pattern of 10 commercial establishments since March 1. The alleged robber has stolen from six Dunkin Donuts locations, one 7-11, one Subway and two Carvels in locations including New Hyde Park, Plainview, Old Bethpage, East Meadow, North Merrick, Oceanside, Massapequa Park, North Valley Stream and Hewlett.
“At this point there’s been no physical altercations,” said LeBrun. “But when you pull out a large knife like this it is very threatening.”
The suspect is described as approximately 35 years old. He is said to be about six feet tall and around 170 pounds. He wears a dark-colored hoody and light blue jeans, with either a red or black scarf covering his face. The robberies have occurred between the hours of 9 p.m. and 12:20 a.m. Prior to the robberies, the perpetrator also appears on tapes monitoring the inside and outside of a location.
“He is basically looking for a specific time when there is not a lot of people in the establishment,” said LeBrun.
Once inside an establishment, the suspect then pulls out a large kitchen knife, approximately 6-7 inches, and states, “give me the cash,” before leaving in an unknown direction. Police said they have no leads on any vehicles involved and no indication of the direction he may have been traveling in.
“Nassau County Police Department has dedicated a large and significant amount of resources,” said LeBrun. “Right now we have the robbery squad working on this, the Bureau of Special Operations, the Criminal Intelligence Rapid Response Team, in addition to all the police officers that are in marked patrol units constantly increasing their patrols in all these establishment areas.”
Nassau County Police is also seeking help from the public to identify this individual. “At this time the Police Department is asking out greatest resource, which are the residents of Nassau County to get involved,” LeBrun said.
LeBrun also wants to remind residents that if they do come in contact with the individual that they put their safety first.
“My advice at this point as a law enforcement professional is to be a good witness,” said LeBrun. “Your safety is paramount. We do not want you struggling with any type of perpetrator.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a $10,000 reward for anyone who can provide information to help catch the robber. If you have any information that may be helpful regarding this case call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-8477.
