By Mary Malloy
At 12:15 a.m., the thieves, four armed with handguns and one with a machete, came into the store, at 31 Hempstead Ave., startling 25 patrons and three employees - all men - binding the hands of some and forcing others to take off their clothes, detectives said.
The suspects, men in their 20s who were wearing black ski masks, gloves and dark clothing, according to Lynbrook police, then robbed the victims of thousands of dollars in cash, credit cards, jewelry, cell phones, a DVD player and their clothing, and fled the store.
Lynbrook police were the first to respond, and were soon joined by Nassau County detectives. The man who was tasered did not require immediate medical assistance, Officer Jean DeLuca said, and there were no other injuries.
Police took statements from 14 of the victims. Although the Grand Caffe is in the Lynbrook police district, Nassau County's 5th Squad has a more extensive detectives bureau to deal with this type of crime, according to DeLuca. "This is an ongoing investigation," she said.
"I don't know anything," said a man sitting in the dimly lit cafe, on the corner of Hempstead and Blake avenues, the next afternoon. "We're just customers."
I've never seen anything like this in 31 years," said Lorraine Tulice, owner of Chris Nails & Spa next door. "We were closed at the time, and we only know what they told us ... but we're keeping our doors locked from now on."
"We encourage people to keep the premises it well lit, and windows as uncluttered as possible so we can see suspicious activity inside of the building," advised Lynbrook Detective Fred Fusswinkel, adding that residents and business owners should report any suspicious activity on the street or anywhere in the area. "You can't be too careful."
Detectives request that anyone with information about the incident contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Comments about this story? Mmalloy@
liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 202.
