In a concerning turn of events for Brooklyn's bodega scene, an association representing these corner stores has launched an appeal for heightened security after a brazen armed robbery was carried out by individuals posing as members of the New York Police Department. The United Bodegas of America, responding to the incident, is urging Governor Kathy Hochul to install panic buttons in the bodegas, devices designed to notify the NYPD swiftly in times of trouble, as reported by ABC7NY.
According to surveillance footage, the robbers stormed a store located in Bedford-Stuyvesant wearing fraudulent jackets emblazoned with "NYPD Police" marking them as one of the city's protectors when in fact they were predators and the video, captured at the junction of Marcus Garvey and Willoughby Avenue, showed how they zip-tied a 48-year-old customer along with two store employees, aged 68 and 40, subsequently forcing them to the ground at gunpoint. Thankfully, none of the victims were physically harmed during the ordeal, and the masked marauders left with only a bag, the contents of which remain unknown, this according to ABC7NY.
Shedding further light on the incident, information sourced from AMNY details that the robbers, dressed in all black and wearing NYPD-labeled jackets, targeted the deli at 114 Marcus Garvey Blvd. around 8 a.m. on Sunday. The fake officers wielded a firearm to control their victims during the robbery, which is believed to have been an attempt to access a safe inside the deli; however, the thwarted criminals ultimately made off with various property before escaping in a dark-colored van.
The NYPD from the 79th Precinct responded swiftly to the high-stakes situation but, with the suspects still at large, a $5,000 reward has been offered by the bodega association for information leading to captures the United Bodegas of America stands as a testament to the resilience of the city's small business community rallying together in the face of visceral threats to their safety. Those with information regarding the robbery are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers, with all tips being treated with confidentiality.
