NEW YORK — Moments of terror have lived for the owner of an electronics store and his wife in Manhattan.
New surveillance video shows the events, after two suspects posing as FedEX employees entered the company to rob them.
The two suspected thieves approached the 74-year-old store owner Channel light and sound SoHo around 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to police. They both produced a false invoice, and as soon as the victim opened the door to his store, the suspects pushed him to the ground.
Once inside, the suspected thieves took just five minutes to complete the robbery.
One of the men was armed with a gun and took the victim to the back room, the uniformed woman said. While holding the victim firmly, the shooter knocked over a box, which his partner tripped over seconds later.
This fall knocks the partner to the ground, and as he gets back up, his face, which had been covered by a mask, is exposed and can be seen on video. The one who was armed then whips the victim with a pistol and orders the owner to do what he wants.
“Stop screaming. Do you want your granddaughter to be injured on the way home from school?”, shouts the thief, while the victim says no. “Open the door!”.
Jeffrey Kwan said his parents had operated the business for 46 years and the theft appeared to have been a planned and orchestrated event.
“They just knew certain things about us. Something disturbing,” Kwan said, believing the suspects must have investigated the Canal Street store near Mercer Street earlier.
The alleged thieves stole $1,500 in cash from the victim’s wallet, but were unable to break into the safe. The victim’s 72-year-old wife entered the business unaware that she was being robbed. She was quickly thrown to the ground and dragged away, before the suspects left.
People sweeping the sidewalk heard the din and intervened. The suspects kept walking, even as one of the Good Samaritans brandished his broom towards them, but they missed.
The NYPD said they are still looking for the suspects. Kwan told our sister channel NBC New York that her parents are much better now that they have recovered from the incident.
“(The suspects) have a lot of information about us. They threatened the grandchildren,” he said.
Kwan said her father suffered a cut to the head, while her mother suffered minor cuts and bruises.
Anyone with information can call authorities confidentially at 1-888-57-PISTA.