A 23-year-old man was punched in the face multiple times, had his backpack ripped away, and watched his laptop smashed to pieces during a violent robbery in the parking lot of a Just Salad along Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow late Saturday night. Police say 24-year-old Mehmet Kumbasar and 27-year-old Ly-Neka Brown were arrested following the attack, but both were released on their own recognizance at their arraignment the very next morning.
Officers from the Nassau County Police Department's Third Squad responded to the robbery report at 10:48 p.m. on August 8 in the parking lot of Just Salad at 2411 Hempstead Turnpike, according to Long Island Life & Politics, which reported that the victim had been walking eastbound along the turnpike when the suspects approached him. Kumbasar and Brown allegedly attacked the victim at around 10:45 p.m., punching him repeatedly in the face before making off with his watch and other electronic items, per Daily Voice. During the struggle, the suspects allegedly tore the backpack off the victim and smashed his laptop before fleeing the scene.
The victim called 911 and was taken to a local hospital, according to the same report. Kumbasar, who police say is from East Meadow, was hit with a lengthy list of charges: second-degree robbery, third-degree assault, third-degree criminal mischief, and fifth-degree possession of stolen property. Police also charged him with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance after reportedly finding a controlled substance on him at the time of his arrest, as detailed by News 12 Long Island.
Charges Carry Steep Penalties, But Both Walked Free
Brown, who is from Jamaica, Queens, faces the lesser charges of petit larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, both Class A misdemeanors under New York law that carry up to a year in jail. Kumbasar's second-degree robbery charge is far more serious. Under New York Penal Law § 160.10, the offense is classified as a Class C violent felony, applying when someone forcibly steals property while aided by another person present or causes physical injury, and it carries a mandatory state prison sentence of 3.5 to 15 years upon conviction.
Despite that violent felony classification, court records indicate both defendants were released on their own recognizance at their arraignment Sunday morning at First District Court in Hempstead. New York judges retain discretion to set monetary bail on violent felony charges, but chose not to in this case, the Daily Voice report notes. Kumbasar's drug possession charge, meanwhile, is a Class A misdemeanor under New York Penal Law § 220.03, carrying a maximum of one year in jail or three years of probation.
A Busy Commercial Strip Already in the Spotlight
The robbery unfolded on a stretch of Hempstead Turnpike that has drawn attention this year for reasons beyond crime. New York State launched a $58 million transportation initiative in July that includes repaving 50.6 lane miles of State Route 24 along the turnpike between Meadowbrook State Parkway and Route 110, as Hoodline previously reported. The corridor is lined with retail plazas and remains one of East Meadow's busiest commercial arteries.
This is not the first public safety incident to rattle the area this year. In May, an undomiciled man was arrested near Meadowbrook Parkway and Front Street after allegedly menacing three bicyclists with a firearm, a case Hoodline covered at the time. Countywide, the picture is more mixed: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services figures show reported robberies in Nassau County actually dropped 9% in 2024, falling from 597 the prior year to 542, even as overall violent crime ticked up slightly by 1.6% over the same period, according to Long Island Life & Politics.
No further court dates were listed in available records, and it remains unclear whether Kumbasar and Brown have retained attorneys. The case now moves forward in First District Court, where the mandatory sentencing range tied to the robbery charge looms over Kumbasar should he be convicted.
