Man Arrested In Williamsburg, Brooklyn Meatball Shop Robbery; Accomplice At Large
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A man accused of stuffing a worker in a freezer at a Meatball Shop restaurant is behind bars.
As CBS2's Ali Bauman reported, police say they found and arrested 33-year-old Tony Thomas based off of a tip. Now, they're hoping for the same to help find his alleged accomplice.
The two suspects were caught on surveillance video early strolling into the Meatball Shop on Bedford Avenue around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Investigators say the men went in and demanded money from an employee, ordering him down into the basement to open the restaurant's safe.
Thomas was brandishing a handgun, according to police.
The men took $2,000 in cash, then forced the employee into a large freezer before they took off.
Loyal patrons of the popular restaurant were shaken.
"That's awful and it's frightening," one man said. "It's really got to be terrifying on that end, I'm going to actually have to reach out and figure out if it was anybody I knew."
Thomas has been charged with robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, and menacing.
He's expected to face a judge Saturday.
The second suspect is described to be in his 30s, roughly 6'1", and was last seen wearing a scarf on his head.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74682). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
