What to Know
- The man who authorities say is responsible for a slew armed robberies across NYC has been arrested, police said
- Brandon McDonald and an accomplice still on the loose, allegedly took cash, cell phones, jewelry and other belongings worth more than $60K
- The first two incidents were reported on August 1 in Brooklyn and Harlem, with the alleged robbers striking multiple times through August 17
The man who authorities say is responsible for a slew armed robberies in which he and an accomplice pulled a gun on their victims has been arrested, according to police.
NYPD officers had been searching for Brandon McDonald since late August. Police say the 32-year-old and the other man victimized people across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens — getting away with cash, cell phones, jewelry and other belongings worth more than $60,000 in a matter of just a few weeks.
The first two incidents were reported on August 1 on Buffalo Avenue in Brooklyn and hours later, nearly 20 miles away on Convent Avenue in Harlem.
In both instances, the male victims reported that two men approached them, pulled out a firearm and demanded their property before taking off in a burgundy or red Ford Mustang sedan, according to police. Altogether, the duo made off with over $600 in belongings.
The next day, there were two more attempted robberies in Chelsea and midtown in Manhattan, but the suspects got away with nothing. McDonald, from Brooklyn, and his partner allegedly struck again the following day, this time in Long Island City along Queens Plaza South. The pair is accused of feigning a firearm and demanding a man hand over jewelry that is worth an estimated $24,000 before fleeing on foot.
Three days later on August 6, police said a man in Chelsea was robbed of jewelry and a cellphone worth a combined $15,000. Then on August 9, a woman in East Williamsurg had her purse — the total value of which was almost $2,400 — taken from her around 3:45 a.m., according to cops. In both of these incidents, the suspects flashed a gun at their victims.
Local
After a man reported to the NYPD on August 15 that he was robbed of a watch worth about $300 in Fresh Meadows, Queens, police got another call just two days later about three men being robbed at Bleeker Street and Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village.
The three men in their 20s were robbed just before 5 a.m., police said, with the robbers fleeing on foot with $21,000 worth of jewelry and cellphones.
No injuries were reported in any of the incidents.
An investigation is ongoing.
