Uniondale Convenience Store Clerks Fight Off Armed Robber
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – Two brave convenience store clerks came face-to-face with an armed robber and managed to end a violent crime spree.
As CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported, the entire incident was caught on surveillance video.
"It's really something scary to go through, you know, if somebody comes in with a gun, a gun is a very scary weapon," store owner Hammam Sharhan said.
The surveillance video shows a gunman walking into Selina Convenience Store in Uniondale, his face hidden by a scarf. Seconds later, he smacks one clerk in the head with a handgun.
Another clerk then joins in on the struggle, wrestling the gunman to the ground, pulling his leg. The two manage to pry the weapon out of the gunman's hands.
The employees were not at work Tuesday, but their boss tells CBS2 they feared for their lives.
"He had a gun, you know? They were just doing it because they were scared," Sharhan said.
After yanking the gun away, the perpetrator appears to get a second wind, but the employees overpowered him again.
Police arrived moments later, arresting Timothy Lang of Roosevelt, who is said to regularly shop at the store. The alleged getaway driver, Kaphia Larode, was also arrested.
Police say the pair had just robbed three other locations in under 25 minutes, pointing a gun at one clerk and brutally pistol-whipping another. The spree came to an end at Selina's.
"A lot of robberies around here, a lot of stores they get robbed—so they need to stop, seriously, and somebody stopped them," store employee Sam Hussain said.
Police say fighting back is risky.
"Comply with the subject's demands. Your safety is paramount. However in this case, the individuals obviously felt they needed to fight back to protect their own personal safety," Sgt. John Giambrone with the Nassau County Police Robbery Squad said.
The clerks had no way of knowing during the struggle the gun was not loaded, Gusoff reported.
Police say the alleged gunman was on parole for committing another felony stemming from trying to run over a police officer with his car during a drunk driving stop.
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