Hewlett jewelry store robbed

Three men armed with handguns allegedly stole an assortment of jewelry from a Hewlett store in the Peninsula Shipping Center on April 20 after holding a gun to the head of an 8-year-old boy and assaulting the storeowner, police said.

At 6:30 p.m., the three men wearing dark colored hooded sweatshirts entered Julia's Place Jewelry at 1322 Peninsula Blvd., and pistol-whipped, punched and kicked the storeowner,and put a handgun to the head of the boy, according to police.

The storeowner's wife and daughter-in-law were also in the store at that time. The boy is the son of a family friend, said Det.Sgt. John Giambrone, commanding officer of the Robbery Squad.

The men then removed several pieces of jewelry from a display case, including a 2-kart diamond engagement ring valued at $10,000 and they took the owner's two-toned stainless Rolex watch worth $9,000, Giambrone said, who noted the total estimated value of the items taken was between $40,000 and $50,000.

"They fled in a dark colored vehicle thought to be either a Nissan Maxima or Altima toward Rosedale, Queens," Giambrone said.

Between 2:30 and 3 p.m. that day, a man said to be one of the suspects and a woman described as black, 5-feet, 10-inches tall with long braided hair were in the store and asked to see some rings and looked at the exact ring that was taken, Giambrone said.

The woman was wearing a yellow T-Shirt with pink letters that read: "Don't interrupt me while I am ignoring you," Giambrone said. When he entered the store the first time, the man was described as 6-feet tall and wearing a white T-shirt with dark jeans.

It is a common tactic in jewelry store robberies that the shop is "cased" or looked at by the robbers before they commit the crime, Giambrone said.

The storeowner was taken to South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, where he was admitted for observation and was treated for cuts to his head, Giambrone said. No other injuries were reported.

Witnesses describe the other two men as black, ranging in height from 5-feet, 9-inches to 6-feet, 5-inches, with thin builds, and one was wearing a red bandana across his face.

Police ask anyone with information regarding this crime to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-8477. All calls are kept confidential.