NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- The NYPD released new images Wednesday of two suspects wanted in a violent, $1 million jewelry heist in Queens last month.
The new images show the men who police believe stormed into Diamonds by Direct in downtown Flushing on the afternoon of Feb. 22 and beat up a 78-year-old woman working there before ransacking the store.
Police previously released surveillance video of the two masked men entering the business, one wearing a black hoodie and the other disguised as an Amazon delivery person.
At a news conference on Feb. 28, NYPD officials said the victim was watching the store for her daughter, who is the store owner, when the fake Amazon worker dropped off a package at the locked door.
When the woman went to retrieve the package, the two men stormed inside wielding a handgun and a hammer, police said.
“During the course of the robbery, the 78-year-old female was pistol-whipped by one male, viciously kicked by both and dragged across the floor, causing severe bruising to her arms and a blood clot in her head,” NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said at the news conference.
One of the men smashed display cases with the hammer and stole the jewelry, surveillance video shows.
The value of the stolen jewelry is estimated to be $1.1 million, Essig said.
Police also released an image of two men who they believe acted as lookouts for the two robbers. A camera captured them walking down a sidewalk.
All four men remained at large as of Wednesday.
The brazen robbery, which happened at 2:30 p.m., prompted the NYPD to encourage business owners to require customers to show drop their masks, at least temporarily, before entering stores.
“We’re asking the businesses to make this a condition of entry, that people when they come in, they should show their face,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. “Pre-pandemic, most businesses wouldn’t allow you to walk in there with a mask and latex gloves on.”
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