NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — The NYPD is searching for three suspects that lured victims into meeting up under false pretenses and robbed them on two separate occasions this month in Queens.
The first ruse was an alleged currency exchange that two of the suspects scheduled with a 34-year-old victim for 7 p.m. on Valentine’s Day.
When the victim arrived at Barclay Avenue and Kissena Boulevard in Flushing, the men used pepper spray on his eyes and then punched and kicked him in the face, causing a broken nose and laceration.
After the attack police said that the thieves forcibly removed the victim’s bag containing a phone and the currency. They fled on foot, traveling southbound on Kissena Boulevard.
Medics transported the victim to New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital in stable condition, officials said.
The second robbery happened less than a week later at about 11:50 a.m. on Feb. 19 inside a Fresh Meadows Starbucks located at 61-51 188 St.
The 39-year-old victim believed he was meeting with the men to sell a Rolex watch, but when he arrived the suspects punched him in the face and forcibly removed the watch box from him. They fled in a vehicle to Kissena Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway, police said.
The victim sustained minor injuries in the assault, but was not hospitalized, officials said.
Photos and video from the Fresh Meadows incident were released by police on Saturday seeking the public’s help in catching the robbers.
Police described the first suspect as having a slim build and he was last seen wearing navy and gray gloves, a black long coat, black hooded sweatshirt, black pants and white Nike sneakers.
The second suspect is described as having a medium build and was last seen in a black North Face coat, a black hooded sweatshirt, gray sweatpants and white sneakers.
The third suspect is described as having a heavy build and was last seen clad in all black, aside from a blue surgical mask.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS.