Four Queens men are now facing robbery charges after Nassau County police say they stormed a Syosset storage facility back in August, zip-tied workers at gunpoint, and made off with cash and pallets of goods containing marijuana. The last of the four, 34-year-old Shuai Yang, was arrested in Flushing on Friday and arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead, closing out an investigation that stretched more than two months.
What Police Say Happened at the Storage Facility
According to Nassau County police, the robbery unfolded on Aug. 10 at a storage facility at 225 Underhill Blvd. in Syosset. As reported by News12 Long Island, the four men entered the facility, restrained multiple victims with zip ties, and held them at gunpoint. Police say the group then removed U.S. currency and multiple pallets of goods containing marijuana from the victims before fleeing the scene.
Nassau County police investigated the case with the Electronics Squad and the Bureau of Special Operations, the station's report notes. That joint investigation ultimately led detectives to identify and track down all four suspects over the following weeks.
Three Arrested Without Incident, One Remained at Large
Three of the suspects — 23-year-old Yuanjun Wang, 25-year-old Junjie Chen, and 30-year-old Jiyong Mi, all from Queens — were arrested in Queens without incident on Oct. 15 and were arraigned that same day, per the same account. That left Shuai Yang as the final name on the case, and he remained outstanding for more than a week after his alleged co-defendants were already in court.
Police caught up with Yang in Flushing, arresting him on Friday. He was arraigned Saturday at First District Court in Hempstead, the article states, finally bringing all four defendants before a judge.
Charges and What Comes Next
All four men face charges of robbery in the first and second degree. Under New York law, robbery is defined under Article 160 of the state's Penal Law, which lays out separate statutes for third-, second-, and first-degree robbery depending on the severity of the conduct alleged.
The specific conduct tying each defendant to the first- and second-degree counts has not been detailed, and it remains unclear whether the marijuana taken from the facility was legally held, along with its quantity or value. Details about the victims, any injuries, or whether a firearm was recovered have also not been released.
