A convenience store manager in Bensonhurst is struggling to recover after a gunman forced him to empty his cash register early Sunday morning, twisting his arm and shoving him while a customer wandered in to make a purchase, seemingly unaware a robbery was happening just feet away. Store manager Ismail Hossain says he has since been hospitalized twice and still has not returned to work.
The robbery occurred near 17th Avenue and 74th Street in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and was captured on surveillance video, according to News12 Brooklyn. Hossain was working alone when the armed suspect approached him with a gun, twisted his arm, pointed the gun at him, and then loaded it before forcing him to open the register. Dispatch logs reviewed by Citizen show a gunpoint robbery was reported at 7402 17th Avenue at approximately 2:40 a.m. on September 27, placing the incident squarely within that stretch of the neighborhood.
Manager Fled to Back Room, Fearing He'd Be Shot
Hossain said he was really afraid during the encounter and ran into a small room because he feared being shot. According to employees, the robber had previously been a customer at the store, and police say he fled with at least $2,500 in cash. The store manager, who has run the location for years, said he had never experienced anything like it before.
The emotional toll has lingered well beyond the morning of the robbery. Hossain said he still considers the neighborhood safe, but now worries every time someone walks through the door, and he says he wants law enforcement to help him feel safe again. He is currently dealing with a muscle strain and has not been able to return to work since the attack, per the same account from News12.
62nd Precinct Investigates as Councilmember Funds New Patrol Cars
The store falls within the jurisdiction of the NYPD's 62nd Precinct, which patrols Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Mapleton from its house at 1925 Bath Avenue, according to the NYPD. Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to contact authorities. Just last month, City Councilmember Susan Zhuang allocated $152,000 to equip the precinct with two new patrol vehicles meant to boost police visibility along commercial strips in Bensonhurst, Bath Beach, and Gravesend, as reported by BKReader.
If caught and convicted, the suspect could face serious consequences under state law. Forcibly stealing property while armed with a deadly weapon or displaying a firearm is classified as First-Degree Robbery under New York Penal Law § 160.15, a Class B violent felony carrying a mandatory minimum of 5 years and up to 25 years in state prison, according to the New York State Senate. Anyone with information can also submit anonymous tips through NYPD Crime Stoppers, which offers rewards of up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in violent felony cases, per the New York City Police Foundation.
A Bensonhurst Robbery
In February, a knife-wielding trio jumped a teenager for his jacket at a Bensonhurst McDonald's.
City and state officials have moved to respond to violence against retail workers more broadly. In May 2025, Mayor Eric Adams launched SilentShields, a $1.6 million initiative providing 500 New York City bodegas and small grocery stores with panic buttons linked directly to the NYPD and live security cameras, according to Black Enterprise. The New York State Retail Worker Safety Act, signed in September 2024, separately mandates that retail employers implement workplace violence prevention plans and requires large retailers to provide panic buttons for employees, as detailed by The Riverdale Press.
Citywide Robbery Numbers Down, But Crime Remains Above Pre-Pandemic Levels
The incident arrives even as citywide robbery statistics trend downward. NYPD CompStat data for the week ending September 27 recorded 9,970 robbery complaints citywide year-to-date, a 12% drop compared to 11,333 reported during the same period in 2025. Midyear 2026 crime analyses found that major index crimes in New York City fell by 5.6% overall during the first six months of the year compared to 2025, though totals remained roughly 25% higher than pre-pandemic 2019 levels, according to Vital City.
Bensonhurst is home to more than 104,000 residents across nearly 3 square miles, per Wikipedia. The neighborhood has a large China-born population and was a major Italian-American population center in the 20th century. For Hossain, the broader statistics offer little comfort while he remains out of work and hospitalized twice since the robbery, still hoping police can help restore the sense of safety he once took for granted behind the counter.
