Queens Neighborhood On Edge After Knife-Wielding Robbery Suspect Strikes Again
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Some who live and work in a Queens neighborhood are on edge after police said a suspect who is wanted in a series of knifepoint robberies struck again over the weekend.
Police released surveillance video of the latest incident, which happened around 4 p.m. Sunday at a Subway restaurant on Springfield Boulevard.
As crime scene investigators were back inside the sandwich shop Monday morning, employees at neighboring businesses watched closely.
"We are worried," Nathan Lee, who works a few doors down, told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "The detective came here and he was trying to catch him and get the camera on our systems."
"I'm feeling unsafe," said nearby worker Timmy Khalinov. "They're working all over the city and they can't find him."
Armed with what police said was a kitchen or butcher knife, the suspect was seen on surveillance video after holding up an employee inside the Subway, cleaning out about $500 from the register.
Police believe the same man is behind nearly two dozen similar crimes.
On Friday, college student John Kwon was working at a Subway shop in Forest Hills when police said the suspect walked in flashing a large knife and demanding money.
"Just empty the cash register and that's it," Kwon said. "I'm not risking my life for $300."
Investigators said 17 chains stores on Long Island, mostly Dunkin Donuts, Carvel and Subway, and now six in Queens have been targets so far.
"Very surprised to hear something like this happen in this neighborhood," one resident who lives near the scene of the latest robbery told WCBS 880's Sean Adams.
"It doesn't happen," said another man. "It's a quiet neighborhood."
The shop in the Sunday's incident is just yards away from the Long Island Expressway. Police said all of the stores he's targeted are within close proximity to highways.
"We have a very large presence of plainclothes and uniform officers at these access points moving forward," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robery Boyce said.
Police describe the suspect as a black man, about 5'9" tall with a medium build. In the latest incident, he was seen wearing sunglasses, a black hooded sweatshirt, dark colored jeans and boots.
Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782), visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
