Cops: Clerk threatened with knives

A South Floral Park man was arrested in Elmont last Friday at 9:15 a.m. after allegedly using two knives to threaten a clerk at a Liberty Gas Station, who refused to give him a cigar.

According to the Nassau County Police Department’s 5th Precinct, Kirk Spencer, 28, entered the store, at 653 Hempstead Turnpike in Elmont, and asked a 47-year-old male clerk for a cigar, telling him that he would pay for it at a later date. The clerk refused, and Spencer left the store.

Police said that Spencer returned a short time later, brandishing two large kitchen knives, and demanded a cigar. The clerk again refused, and Spencer fled the scene on foot. The clerk then called 911, and 5th Precinct officers found Spencer nearby and arrested him.

No one was injured in the incident, and the knives were recovered. Spencer was charged with first-degree attempted robbery and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on Saturday.

According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, Spencer pleaded guilty to a criminal trespassing charge (a B-Felony) in 2011, in relation to a burglary on Feb. 21; and pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing government administration (a D-Felony) in 2008, in relation to an incident that occurred on Nov. 24.