By JOSEPH KELLARD
The suspect, described only as a white male, entered the convenience store at the Liberty gas station, at 4305 Austin Blvd., struck the attendant on the hand with a metal pipe and demanded money at about 10:35 p.m. last Tuesday, according to detectives at the Fourth Precinct.
The attendant, who speaks virtually no English, failed to respond to the suspect¹s demands, according to police. The suspect moved behind the store counter, punched the cash register and tried to open it. He ordered the attendant to open the register, and the attendant complied, police said.
³There was a problem with a language barrier with the gas station clerk,² said Detective Sgt. John King. ³He speaks Turkish, and only Turkish.²
The suspect grabbed all the cash in the register, approximately $80, and struck the victim again ‹ this time on his leg ‹ with the pipe, officials said. The suspect fled the store, and was last seen on foot heading east on Kingston Boulevard.
The attendant, wearing a soft cast on his left hand after the incident, declined to comment on the robbery, as did another attendant who spoke little English, but said the owner was unavailable for comment.
The Liberty gas station has been the scene of several robberies in recent years, the next most recent having taken place on Aug. 2. In that incident, police said, a male subject produced a gun and demanded cash. The attendant refused, and the subject then ripped the attendant¹s shirt pocket, removed an undisclosed amount of cash and fled on a bicycle. ³That person was arrested,² King said.
Asked if he thought there was a possible connection between the suspects in those robberies, King said he believes the Sept. 27 robbery was ³a target of opportunity, because the gas station is open 24 hours.²
In August 2000, a suspect used a baseball bat to rob money at 2 a.m., and in October of that year another bat-wielder entered the convenience store at about 4 a.m. and stole money and beer. In Feb. 2003, a suspect entered the gas station at 9 p.m. and used a hand gun to rob money.
Asked about the procedures all-night gas stations typically take to guard against late-night robberies, King said, ³If you look at these gas stations, after a certain hour the tills are locked down in a safe or a bank vault.² King said he believes the owner of Liberty keeps the door to the convenience store locked after a certain hour instead.
Police ask anyone with any information on the latest robbery to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
