Police: Masked Robber Wielding Large Knife Targets Brooklyn Businesses

What to Know

  • Police say a masked man has been robbing Brooklyn businesses at knife-point during the night
  • Dramatic video captures the man attempting to rob a Chinese restaurant in East New York last Wednesday
  • The man has stolen more than $1,500 in cash

Dramatic surveillance video captured the moment a man with a large knife tried to rob a woman working at a Brooklyn restaurant — police say the hooded suspect has been targeting businesses in the borough for nearly a month.

The man has wielded a large knife in at least two of the four robberies he’s suspected in, including the most recent one at Chen’s Garden on Flatlands Avenue in East New York.

Surveillance video from Chen’s Garden last Wednesday night shows the man — dressed in an orange hoodie and wearing a black mask — approaching the counter and pulling out a large knife from his waistband. He waves the weapon at the woman before jumping onto the front counter. That’s when two other workers rush out from the kitchen and wave what appears to be a butcher knife and a metal spoon at the man, who runs away.

Police say the robber fled empty-handed in that robbery, but he has stolen hundreds of dollars from three other businesses in East New York and Canarsie since mid-December.

He targeted a Baskin Robbins on Flatlands Avenue and robbed a 24-year-old employee just minutes before the robbery at Chen’s Garden. He was able to get away with $533, according to police.

The man also robbed a KFC/Taco Bell on Flatlands Avenue in Canarsie back on Dec. 29, brandishing a knife and removing $876 from a cash register, police said.

On Dec. 19, police said the man passed a note demanding cash to a 20-year-old woman working at a Dunkin Donuts on Flatlands Avenue in East New York. He was able to escape with $320.

The robber targets employees working at night; all of the businesses were robbed after 9 p.m., according to police. 

No injuries have been reported. 

The NYPD asks anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS. 

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