Union Square shooting suspect connected to other Manhattan robberies: NYPD
NEW YORK — The suspect accused of shooting a man in a subway train, who was arrested following a bank robbery Tuesday, is also a suspect in two other incidents, police said.
The suspect was arrested after displaying a firearm and taking an undetermined amount of money from a bank teller. Detectives noticed the description of the bank robbery suspect matched the description of the subway shooting suspect from the day before, and deployed officers to search subway trains.
Before his arrest, police officials released statements about two previous robberies the man was also allegedly involved in.
All four incidents took place within a three-day span, police said.
About 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police received reports of a robbery that took place in a deli located on Lexington Avenue. A 42-year-old male victim reported being approached by the suspect, who showed the victim a firearm concealed in his waistband.
When the victim handed the suspect $45 in cash, the suspect allegedly said "that's it?" before fleeing and heading toward Grand Central Station, police said.
A day later, at about 4:45 p.m., the same suspect entered a bank on Canal Street and displayed a firearm before demanding cash. The suspect fled the scene after being handed $1,100.
No injuries were reported following the first two robberies, police said.
Approximately 10 minutes after the Canal Street bank robbery, the same suspect shot a man in the leg on a crowded Manhattan subway train.
Officials said the 42-year-old man was seated riding on a northbound N train when he was approached by another man who was standing, demanding the victim’s cellphone. The suspect had a black gun, police said.
The man apparently didn’t comply in time, according to police, and was shot once by the suspect in his leg.
As the train entered the Union Square subway station, the suspect fled the train and ran into the busy station.
The suspect was finally caught Tuesday after robbing a Manhattan bank. Officers located him after matching his description to the suspect description in the previous three incidents. He had three loaded firearms and cash in his possession, police officials said.
“We know an alert officer recognized the man suspected of preying on subway riders and robbing banks because NYC Transit security got his picture,” MTA Communications Director Tim Minton said in a statement. “That and hundreds of additional NYPD officers throughout the system are among reasons why transit crime is at a 25-year low and why new pandemic ridership records are being set every week.”
Investigations into other possible robbery incidents involving the same suspect are underway, police said.