Riverhead Police Warn Residents Of Violent Robberies Targeting Hispanic Men
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) – A Long Island town is reviving and expanding its anti-bias task force after a string of nearly two dozen violent robberies targeting Hispanic men in the past 18 months.
There have been eight robberies this year and about 15 last year, Riverhead Police Chief David Hegemiller.
Riverhead Police Warn Residents Of Violent Robberies Targeting Hispanic Men
He described the incidents as crimes of opportunity against Hispanic immigrants who are known to carry cash and reluctant to contact police.
“It’s really being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Hegemiller told WCBS 880’s Sophia Hall.
In April, a Hispanic man was beaten and robbed of $400 near the train tracks in downtown Riverhead.
In October, two men fractured the skull of a Hispanic man with a baseball bat and robbed him of $850.
Two men were arrested on Monday after a robbery on Old Country Road, but Hegemiller said police are investigating whether the duo is responsible for all of the crimes in the past few months.
Hegemiller said people should walk in groups in well lit areas, never carry large amounts of cash and always report anything suspicious or any kind of crime to the police.
You May Also Be Interested In These Stories:
- Lawsuit Planned In Effort To Stop Westbury, Long Island Gambling Hall
- Grand Jury Declines To Indict 5 Students Accused In William Paterson University Sex Assault
- Discussions Under Way To Bring Citi Bike To Upper East, West Sides
- FDNY Rescues Young Boy From Ice On Bronx River
(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
