BROOKLYN, NY — Police surrounded a Brooklyn liquor store after two robbers took the owner hostage Wednesday afternoon.
Around 1:45 p.m. two men entered the Arrow Wine & Liquor on Ave. N near Schenectady Ave. in the Old Mill Basin section of Brooklyn and attempted to rob the store. Passersby saw the robbery in progress and alerted police officer driving nearby, according to witnesses.
One witness Evonne Daniel, a teacher from Noah's Ark, was driving to run an errand and saw the suspect inside the liquor store, at the front, holding a man hostage with his arm around the man's neck and a gun to his head.
A local lawyer who was buying lottery tickets at the time was taken hostage, but he managed to run out of the store. He was tackled by police officers after refusing to stop and put his hands in the air, according to witnesses.
Another local businessman inside at the time, handed all of his money to the gunmen and was released according to police sources. The two men then held the owner during a standoff that lasted more than an hour, according to police.
The owner has since been released according to reports from the scene, and one of the suspects has been taken into custody. Police are currently negotiating with the second suspect.
At least one shot was fired into the wall of the store, but there aren't any reports of injuries, according to police sources.
Police presence was heavy at the scene -- there were hostage negotiators, TARU units, emergency service units with heavy weapons, K-9 units, a helicopter and a robot.
Roughly seven blocks are currently locked down by police. Parents at a nearby daycare are waiting anxiously while the children remain locked inside.
This is terrible. THERE HAS BEEN TOO MANY ROBBERIES IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS. MOST OF THE STORES ON AVE N HAVE BEEN ROBBED. WE NEED MORE POLICE PRESENCES FOR THE 63RD PCT. WE NEED TO BE SAFE IN OUR NEIGHBOR HOOD.
ReplyDeletethere are to many Robberies when they robbed the chase bank my aunt was in the store when it happned.all these robberies are runing the neighbor hood!Its not safe anymore
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