Three robbery suspects armed with a knife are on the run after hitting two south Brooklyn spas within minutes of each other on Wednesday afternoon, according to police. The back-to-back stickups unfolded in Gravesend and Sheepshead Bay, and surveillance photos released by investigators show the trio in hooded sweatshirts. One worker suffered a minor ankle injury while trying to escape.
Investigators say the first robbery happened around 4:25 p.m. at a spa located above a deli on Kings Highway in Gravesend. Police say three people pulled a knife, kicked in a door and grabbed roughly $500 in cash. A 47-year-old employee hurt her ankle while fleeing the chaos, but the injury was minor.
About 15 minutes later, officers believe the same crew struck again at a spa on East 15th Street in Sheepshead Bay. This time, police say the suspects damaged a door and a wall and made off with about $200 before taking off. Surveillance stills show all three in hoodies, with one person casually using a cellphone even as the group moved through the business, according to News 12 Brooklyn.
Police Release Images, Ask Neighbors For Tips
The NYPD is asking anyone who recognizes the people in the photos to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or submit an anonymous tip online. The program has a long track record of helping detectives put names to faces caught on camera, the NYC Police Foundation notes.
Officers are also urging neighbors to scroll back through any recent door‑cam, lobby camera or cellphone footage for clips that might show the suspects before or after the robberies. Even a few seconds of video can end up being the missing puzzle piece in a case like this, police say.
How The Heists Fit Into A Growing Robbery Pattern
Southern Brooklyn has seen a recent cluster of similar hold-ups, with police repeatedly releasing surveillance stills and asking the public to help identify suspects. Local reporting has documented a broader robbery pattern in southern Brooklyn and detailed other recent incidents that triggered the same kind of public appeals.
Business owners and residents say those public requests, combined with clear camera images, often make the difference between a case that quietly goes cold and one that ends in an arrest.
Anyone with information about the two spa robberies is urged to contact NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS or file an anonymous tip online. The Crime Stoppers program allows callers and online tipsters to remain anonymous and can offer rewards for information that leads to arrests, the NYC Police Foundation says. Police stressed that even brief clips from a neighbor's phone or home camera system could help them track the trio down.
