Exclusive: Suspect Pulls Gun In Brazen Queens Armed Robbery, Police Say
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The search is on Sunday night for two armed men caught on surveillance robbing businesses in Queens.
CBS2's Dave Carlin spoke exclusively with one of the victims who had a gun pointed right at him.
Eddy Gao says he thought he was going to die, as he watched the frightening surveillance camera video from where he works.
Police say it was around 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning when Gao was behind the counter of an internet cafe on Farrington Road when one of the suspects walked in and pointed a gun at the 21-year-old, ordering him to empty the cash drawer.
"All I can do is follow what he told me," he said.
In video obtained exclusively by CBS2, Eddy says he handed over about $700 in cash to the man and his accomplice, who had already been there for a while in the back of the cafe.
"He came up asking me for change and when I gave the change to him the other guy came in just to point a gun at me," he said.
Exiting the cafe, the two suspects walked a short distance along Farrington Road to a tan colored van and made their getaway. Gao says the police showed up quickly and spoke with a customer seen on video, figuring he would be a strong witness.
Unfortunately, the man was too focused on his video game. Gao says the customer didn't even realize he had been robbed.
Police released additional video of the suspects and say they may be responsible for a robbery at another Queens business several hours before.
The pair stormed a spa on College Point Boulevard and stole $6,000 from an employee seen on surveillance video, according to police.
Gao worries that the suspects will strike again, get even more brazen, and put somebody else's safety at risk.
Police describe both men as around 5'8" in height.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact Crime Stoppers by calling (800) 577-TIPS, logging on to their website at www.NYPDCrimeStoppers.com, or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577. Tips can remain anonymous.