Police: Long Island Serial Knifepoint Robber Targets Bohemia Baskin-Robbins

BOHEMIA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A suspect wanted in more than a dozen knifepoint robberies on Long Island has struck again.

The latest incident happened just before 9 p.m. Wednesday at a Baskin-Robbins on Sunrise Highway in Bohemia. Police said the man walked in armed with a knife and demanded cash. The employee complied and the suspect fled.

The holdup occurred just 24 hours after police said the same suspect robbed a Subway restaurant in Ronkonkoma.

Investigators say he's now robbed 16 businesses in Nassau and Suffolk counties since February using a knife or machete.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Tim Sini said he believes the suspect is a drug addict and if he is caught he will be looking at federal charges, WCBS 880 Sophia Hall reported.

"When you rob a commercial establishment typically it's going to qualify as something called a Hobbs Act robbery, if you rob an establishment that's basically engaged in interstate commerce you can make it a federal case," Sini said. "The penalties for Hobbs Act robberies are stiff under federal law so it's a really good way to bring the hammer to someone who is committing crimes like this."

Sini is urging business owners to make sure their surveillance cameras are working properly because it can help catch the suspect.