NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Police arrested a suspect on Tuesday in connection to a series of violent crimes at Queens spas in which workers and customers were shot, robbed, pistol-whipped or sexually assaulted over a weeklong spree.
Shahab Usman, 40, was arrested on multiple charges including attempted murder, criminal sexual act, rape and sex abuse.
Four incidents were reported in total, with the most recent this past Monday, police said. One of the workers was sexually assaulted at gunpoint, while a customer was shot in the abdomen and critically injured.
While there are two suspects, Usman (pictured below) is believed to have acted alone in three of the four robberies and committed the bulk of the crimes, including the sexual assault and shooting.
In the most recent robbery, Usman allegedly entered a spa at 113th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill around 3:40 p.m. Monday and forced a 50-year-old woman into a private room at gunpoint. Once inside the room, he put the gun against the woman's head and sexually assaulted her, according to police. He then stole $190 from her and robbed two other women in their 40s at gunpoint, police said.
Monday's attack followed back-to-back robberies in South Richmond Hill and Richmond Hill, respectively, this past Saturday night.
The first robbery that night was inside a spa at 114th Street and Liberty Avenue. Usman allegedly entered the business just before 8 p.m., pulled a gun and demanded cash from a 57-year-old woman. She tried to evade him, so he threw her to the ground and pistol-whipped her in the face, police said. He then stole her cellphone and $700 in cash before fleeing.
The victim was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens with injuries to her face and leg.
Less than an hour later, Usman entered a spa at 124th Street and Jamaica Avenue. He pulled a gun on a 45-year-old woman and demanded cash; when she told him she didn't have any, he tried to sexually assault her, police said. He then fired a single shot—striking a 52-year-old man in an adjacent room—before fleeing.
The man, who was a customer, suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen. He was rushed in critical condition to NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens.
The first robbery linked to the crime spree was on the night of Sunday, Nov. 26. Usman in the other three robberies was with a second suspect. They entered a spa at 185th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, brandishing a gun and knife and demanding cash from a man and two women in their 40s, police said. The victims handed over three cellphones and $5,000 cash. No injuries were reported.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.