Machete-Wielding Man Robs Carvel In Bethpage, Police Say
BETHPAGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Long Island police are searching for a machete-wielding man they say robbed a Carvel in Nassau County on Tuesday night.
According to police, the man entered the ice cream store on Hicksville Road in Bethpage just before 10 p.m., pulled out the knife and demanded cash from a 19-year-old female clerk behind the counter.
Police believe this latest incident is related to several other robberies that took place in neighboring areas earlier this year.
Surveillance video from last month show the thief terrorizing clerks with a machete inside a different Carvel just a mile away from Tuesday's scene, just minutes after holding up a Dunkin' Donuts in Seaford.
Nobody has been hurt so far, but loyal customers are shaken by the most recent brazen attack.
"I think it's terrible," Chris Davis of Massapequa tells TV 10/55's Richard Rose. "That's insane, a big knife."
Susan Vannucci lives right around the corner from the most recent machete robbery.
"It's scary," she says, "you think you're safe in this neighborhood. But I guess it can happen anywhere."
At the deli nextdoor, clerk Denise Cortes says she doesn't know what she would do if confronted by the machete man, but believes he's obviously targeting convenience stores that are open late.
"They know who's open late and who's not around," she said. "It's perfect for them."
Police say they are treating the machete attacks as part of a robbery pattern. Just last year, a special task force literally ran down and arrested the man ultimately convicted for two dozen knifepoint convenience store robberies.
Authorities say they gathered a clue from Tuesday's holdup. After grabbing the cash, police say the robber ran outside to a waiting tan or silver four door sedan and then sped off south on nearby Hicksville Road. They're now hoping to track down that vehicle before he's able to strike again.
Nassau County Police describe the suspect as a man standing between 5'7" and 5'10" tall, and was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket, a mask and gloves.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
