Robert Wong
What to Know
- A 21-year-old Long Island man allegedly carjacked a man at gunpoint in a Crunch Fitness parking lot, then led cops on a high-speed chase
- Authorities eventually were able to take him into custody after a wild crash; they had to use a stun gun to subdue him
- The suspect, Robert Wong, also allegedly committed three other robberies, one of them a carjacking, since September
A Long Island man has been arrested in a wild armed carjacking that started with a question about an Uber in a gym parking lot and ended with a guardrail crash, a stun gun and an officer hurt, authorities said Friday.
According to detectives, the victim was sitting in his car in the Crunch Fitness parking lot on Centre Avenue in Bellmore around 4 a.m. Thursday when Robert Wong, 21, approached him and asked if he was his Uber driver. Wong then allegedly pulled out a gun and demanded the victim get out of the car and hand over his wallet. Wong got in the driver's seat and sped off.
Responding officers located the car and tried to pull it over but police say Wong didn't stop. He allegedly drove off, speeding, with officers following him a safe distance behind. Wong then got on the Southern State Parkway going the wrong way and made a U-turn in an effort to get off the highway.
He ended up losing control of the car and crashing into a guardrail, then tried to run away, actively resisting officers who tried to subdue him with a stun gun, police said. Wong was eventually taken into custody and treated at a hospital for minor injuries. Authorities say an officer suffered a wrist injury while avoiding a collision with the stolen car. That cop was also taken to a hospital for treatment.
During his arrest, detectives learned Wong was wanted in a series of other robberies since September -- one at a Dunkin' Donuts in his hometown of Plainview, another at a 7-Eleven in Stewart Manor and another carjacking days before Christmas in Wantagh. He faces charges of robbery, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and other crimes.
Wong is expected to be arraigned Friday. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.
