A bunch of bandits went on a violent robbery spree in Brooklyn and Queens after arranging meet-ups through social media in May and June, cops said.
In all of the incidents, police said, the victims met online through social media apps to arrange transactions involving money. It is unclear right now what kinds of transactions were to be carried out.
Police are still investigating the string of robberies, which started in Flushing on Monday, May 27, at around noon, when one of the suspects met a 27-year-old male at 138-23 39th Ave.
Shortly after the perp introduced himself to the man, two more suspects arrived and began brutally beating the victim throughout his body, pummeling him with their closed fists, police said. They then grabbed “several hundreds of dollars” off the victim before fleeing the scene, police said.
Just a few hours later, at around 4:05 p.m., the perps struck again in Bensonhurst, where they met an 18-year-old woman at 8807 19th Ave. It is unclear what kind of force was involved, but the suspects got away with approximately $4,000 of the woman’s money, law enforcement sources said.
Almost two weeks later, on Sunday, June 9, at around 9:30 p.m., the same perps headed back to Flushing, this time using a gun to threaten a 22-year-old woman and 39-year-old man at 132-27 Pople Ave, official sources said.
One of the perps met the couple at the location before two more suspects arrived, and brandished a firearm before striking both victims multiple times, police said. The suspects got away with approximately $32,000, as well as other property, before fleeing the scene in an unknown direction.
The violent robbers wrapped up their crime spree — at least for now — the next day at approximately 11:20 a.m. at Pidgeon Meadow Road and Fresh Meadow Lane in Flushing. One suspect met a 33-year-old female and a 39-year-old male at the location before four more unidentified individuals arrived.
Once again using a gun to threaten their victims, the perps took turns striking the woman before fleeing the scene with approximately $10,700, as well as other property, from both victims.
Police said several of the victims sustained minor injuries as a result of the robberies. Police could not confirm how many suspects they are looking for, but released photos of two of the perps involved in the crimes.
So far, no arrests have been made, but the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding any of these incidents can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
