Queens Robber Holds Up 4 Convenience Stores In 3 Hours, NYPD Says

QUEENS, NY — An armed robber stole more than $1,200 and shot a worker in the face in a string of holdups around Queens early Monday morning, police said. The man pulled out a gun while acting like a customer at four convenience stores in Woodside, Astoria and St. Albans in fewer than three hours, according to the NYPD.

The alleged robber first hit the Duane Reade store at 60-02 Roosevelt Ave. in Woodside around 3:25 a.m. Monday, where he left an employee in critical condition, police said.

The thief brandished a gun and demanded money when the worker opened the cash register, but the worker closed the register and the man shot him in the left hand, the NYPD said. The robber shot the 49-year-old employee again in the face amid a scuffle over the gun, according to police.

The man didn't get away with any money, but the worker was taken to a hospital and was in critical but stable condition as of Tuesday morning, police said.

The robber similarly pulled his gun on an employee at a 7-Eleven store at 50-92 Northern Blvd. in Woodside about half an hour later, police said. The worker gave him the cash register drawer and he got away with $100, the NYPD said.

The man struck again around 4:15 a.m., when he pulled a similar routine at a Rite Aid at 33-01 30th Ave. in Astoria and got away with $300, police said.

The robber struck a final time around 5:42 a.m. at another Rite Aid store at 115-10 Merrick Boulevard in St. Albans, where he held a fourth worker at gunpoint and stole $802, according to the NYPD.

The man was captured on surveillance video at the 7-Eleven store, police said. He's described as 17 to 25 years old, standing 5-foot-8 with a medium build. Police say he was last seen wearing white sneakers, black and white gloves, blue jeans and a black and green hooded jacket.

Anyone with information about the incidents can call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-8477 or 1-888-577-4782 to leave a tip in Spanish. New Yorkers can also text tips to 274637 or submit them online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

(Lead image: Police say this man robbed four Queens convenience stores at gunpoint in fewer than three hours. Photo and video courtesy of the NYPD)