Crime & Safety
Cops Nearly Grab Gunman Who Robbed 7-Eleven
The thief drove out of the parking lot just as they were pulling into the parking lot.
An armed thief who robbed a convenience store in Bayside Hills had a narrow getaway on Tuesday, as cops rolled into the parking lot just as he pulled out in a car.
The thief, described by store personnel as a “tall, very jumpy African-American male with a gun” wearing a black hoodie, ski-mask and gloves, entered the 7-Eleven located between Hollis Court and Francis Lewis Boulevards just north of the LIE at 12:30 a.m.
He ordered the two male employees to open the cash registers and after looting one, leaving behind a few singles – ordered an employee to put the contents the other into the plastic bag.
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The nervous crook was practically “hopping up and down in the security video” according to Fauzia Anwarzai, who has operated the franchise for 22 years, “almost to the day.”
According to Anwarzai, the gunman was so shaky that he dropped the bag as he was leaving the store and had to scoop up some of the swag, before he slid into the getaway car.
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He was in such a rush that he left a $5 bill behind – and that may have kept him from getting pinched.
Since at least November, police have been monitoring convenience stores in response to . Just as the jittery crook was leaving, cops pulled into the parking lot to check up on the store.
Alerted by an employee, the officers gave chase, but “they lost sight of the vehicle when it got on the Grand Central Parkway,” according to a police source. The thief got away with $532, according to Anwarzai. “It was my fault for leaving that much in the store.”
“We’ve been dropping in on gas stations and stores,” explained 111th Precinct Commander Capt. Ronald Leyson, because of numerous recent robberies throughout northern Queens, some of which are showing patterns, according to the NYPD.
“My son had taken me home at 11:45 on Monday night. Almost immediately I got the call and had to return,” Anwarzai said. “I tell my employees ‘all the billions and trillions aren’t worth the tip of your finger – give up the money.’”
“But the police almost caught him. They even brought back my $5,” she said, adding, “The 111th Precinct is the best.”