CBS2 Exclusive: Video Shows Suspect Who Police Say Robbed L.I. Store, Made Clerk Cry

HEWLETT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- It was anything but a normal day at work this week for a convenience store clerk in Nassau County.

As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported Thursday, a masked man rolled up on a motorcycle and left the clerk so petrified with fear that she burst into tears. CBS2 obtained exclusive video of the suspect.

Surveillance cameras were rolling when the unusually masked bandit drove up on the motorcycle, confronted the lone female clerk on duty at The Barn in Hewlett, and announced a stickup around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday. The managers of the drive-through store said the suspect flashed a gun beneath his hoodie, and they believe he had been casing the place just beforehand.

"The guy did pull up twice," said store manager John Polverino. "The first one was, he said, 'I forgot my wallet.' Then he came back. He was probably checking to see if it was just her by herself here."

Cameras showed the thief ordering the clerk to open the register. She complied and then backed off as the man took all the cash.

"It was definitely more closer to like $500. She was just about to close out for the night, so all the money was still in there," Polverino said. "If he'd come five minutes later, he wouldn't have gotten a dime."

The news of the armed robbery alarmed regular customers.

"To have something like this in the backyard of your home is very disturbing to us," said Elana Magreli of Hewlett.

"I think it's a shame," said Pat DeLuca of East Rockaway. "Very nice people work here; good place. That girl, I happen to see her quite a few times. She's a sweetheart."

Nassau County police arrived just minutes afterward. But by then, the thief had already fled on a black and white motorbike.

Store managers said the robber so terrified the clerk that she burst into tears.

"When she started to cry, he basically said: 'No, please don't cry. I really don't want to do this. I just have to. I'm sorry,'" Polverino said. "It's the most apologetic robber I've ever seen."

Sorry or not, police are hoping images from the video will lead to a quick arrest. The suspect is described as a young white male with short, black hair, and he wore a gray Pro-Tec biking helmet, sunglasses, and a ventilator over his mouth.

The suspect also wore a pair of black, white and yellow racing gloves.