Queens man arrested for attempted robbery

A Laurelton man was arrested on Feb. 6 at 1:50 a.m. for an attempted robbery in Valley Stream.

According to Nassau County police, Lawrence Smith Jr. approached two male victims near Merrick Road and Arlington Avenue and demanded cash. When the victims refused, police said, Smith reached toward his waistband, suggesting that he had a weapon. The victims then called the police, and Smith fled the scene in a black Toyota 4Runner.

The victims provided the police with a description of the suspect and the vehicle he was driving, which the officers found as they were leaving the scene. They then conducted a vehicle and traffic stop, and Smith was arrested without incident.

Smith is charged with two counts of third-degree attempted robbery and two counts of second-degree menacing. He was scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 7 at the First District Court in Hempstead.