Sept. 15, 2022 By Michael Dorgan
Police have released video of a group of suspects – including one wearing a “Scream” movie mask – robbing a store at gunpoint in Ozone Park Wednesday.
The video shows three armed men holding up the store located at 135-20 109th Ave. at around 5:55 p.m. yesterday and stealing $3,000 in cash and cell phones.
The robbery unfolded when the men burst into the store having gotten out of a black Mazda 3 sedan.
The first suspect to enter the premises was wearing a ghost face mask — which was made popular by the “Scream” horror movies. He was carrying an assault rifle and was followed in by the two other men who were carrying handguns and were wearing dark-colored masks.
The men then ran toward the counter, pointing their weapons at workers and customers, the video shows.
The frantic video footage shows three workers behind the counter and at least five customers inside the location – all with their hands in the air. One customer can be seen on his or her knees as the holdup takes place.
The suspects then proceeded to swipe around $3,000 cash from the register. The assailants also stole four cell phones belonging to workers and customers, according to police.
They then fled the scene in the Mazda, police said. There were no injuries reported.
The perpetrators are described by police as having dark complexions and aged in their 20s and 30s.
The suspect in the “Scream” mask was wearing a yellow and gray-colored jacket, while the two other assailants wore dark clothing.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.