Authorities are on the lookout for an individual responsible for a string of armed robberies targeting spas in Queens over the course of a week.
The initial incident occurred around 11 p.m. on November 26, as the suspect, accompanied by another individual, entered a spa on Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica. Brandishing a gun and a knife, they demanded property and cash from a 43-year-old man, a 45-year-old woman, and a 49-year-old woman. The perpetrators fled with three cellphones and approximately $5,000 in cash, heading eastbound on foot. Fortunately, none of the victims sustained injuries.
Several days later, on December 2, the primary suspect struck again. This time, he entered a spa on Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill just before 8 p.m. Displaying a firearm, he demanded valuables and money from a 57-year-old woman. In an attempt to evade him, the victim was thrown to the ground and struck in the face with the gun. The assailant absconded with her cellphone and $700 in cash, fleeing eastbound. The injured victim was subsequently transported to NYC Health/Hospitals-Jamaica with injuries to her face and leg.
Approximately thirty minutes later, the suspect reappeared at another spa on Jamaica Avenue in Kew Gardens. Armed with a gun, he demanded property and cash from a 45-year-old woman. Upon learning that she had no cash or belongings, the suspect attempted to sexually assault her. A single gunshot was fired, striking a 52-year-old male in an adjacent room in the stomach. The wounded man was taken to NYC Health/Hospitals-Jamaica in critical condition. The suspect fled on foot without taking anything.
On December 4, the same suspect entered a third spa on Jamaica Avenue, this time in Richmond Hill, around 3:40 p.m. Displaying his firearm, he demanded that a 50-year-old woman escort him to a private room, where he sexually assaulted her at gunpoint. Before departing, he seized $190 in cash from the initial victim and extorted additional money from two other women by threatening them with the gun.
The suspect, described as approximately 5’9” tall and weighing 130 pounds with a “medium skin tone,” was last seen wearing ripped blue jeans and a green, black, and white jacket. Police are urging anyone with information to come forward.
