'I Was In Fear For My Life': Man Demands Armed Robbery Be Streamed Live On Facebook
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An armed robbery on Staten Island was streamed live on Facebook because the suspect wanted to be seen on camera during the crime.
Abdul "AK" Aziz usually has fun with his customers at his Jersey Street deli on Staten Island, but when 30-year-old Rasheem Harrison walked in Wednesday morning and pulled out a huge knife, the fun stopped, CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported.
"He could do something dangerous so I was nervous. At the same time, I was in fear for my life," Aziz said.
Aziz is a local celebrity of sorts known as AK A Isaac on Facebook with thousands of followers. He often posts live videos from his phone, and Harrison, who's been in the store before, made a bizarre demand.
"He threatened that he was going to kill me if I didn't put him on Facebook," Aziz said.
So he streamed the armed robbery as it was happening using Facebook Live. Harrison ranted about wanting to find someone, grabbed an ice cream cone and refused to pay for it.
"I'm gonna eat it whether you like it or not right or wrong, and you can take it how you want to cause by the end of the day (waving knife) what I got in my hand," he said in the video.
"I felt like I was a hostage inside my own place so I put him on Facebook," Aziz told Conybeare.
After several tense minutes, the suspect stormed out and was arrested about a half hour later.
Aziz said he's using Facebook Live even more since the incident so he has witnesses, and said Harrison has threatened to come back and shoot up the store.
Despite all of that, the 28-year-old Yemeni immigrant said he isn't afraid.
"I'm not letting none of these wannabe thugs, wannabe hustlers ruin my life or stop me from making my money to feed my family and I know God is with me," he said.
Harrison faces multiple charges, including armed robbery, menacing and weapons possession. The streaming video is now evidence in the cas
