The group’s first heist happened on April 4, when the two men walked into Miss Bubble Laundromat on Lenox Avenue and West 141st Street around 4 p.m. Once inside, one of the men took out a firearm, demanded money, and took an unspecified amount of cash from a register.
He then snatched more cash from the pockets of an 80-year-old male customer, and grabbed still more money from the wallet of a 40-year-old woman working at the business, according to police.
The second man stood at the door acting as a lookout, according to police. The two men then left the cleaners on foot.
A few weeks later, on April 20, police say two men walked into a deli at 216 East 170th St. in the Bronx, both brandishing guns and demanding cash. One man pointed his gun in the face of an employee, then struck him in the head and snatched $300 from his wallet, while the second man took $400 from the register as well as an employee’s cell phone.
Finally, on April 25, two of the same men walked into City Vape & Snacks, a bodega on Lenox Avenue between West 136th and 137th streets, demanding cash. One man approached a 19-year-old man working in the store, brandished a firearm and struck him multiple times in the head and face, demanding that he turn over his cash and cell phone.
Another man took $800 from the cash register and the two made off with the money, along with about $2,000 in unspecified stolen property, police said. The 19-year-old was taken to Harlem Hospital for lacerations he suffered during the assault.
This week, police released surveillance video and images from three different locations, including the first two robberies, showing at least two of the suspects.
Police asked anyone with information to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). People can also submit tips online or on Twitter, @NYPDTips.
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