Fourth person arrested in knifepoint robbery spree, police say

Nassau police on Thursday arrested a fourth person in connection with a knifepoint robbery spree consisting of heists at up to 18 Long Island businesses this year.

Daniel Young, 28, of Beachwood Drive in Babylon, was charged in connection with three robberies that police said were carried out earlier this year, possibly with the help of other defendants who have been apprehended and face charges.

Young is charged with first-degree robbery and attempted first-degree robbery and is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in First District Court in Hempstead, police said in a news release.

Detectives said he played a role in some of the robberies where suspects covered their faces and wielded knives or machetes while demanding money from small shops, including Dunkin’ Donuts, GameStop, Subway and Carvel in Nassau and Suffolk. The robberies began in mid-February and ended in mid-April, police have said.

Paul Drab, 26, and Julianna Pantaleone, 31, both of Bluejay Lane in Levittown, and Shane Cashmore, 30, who is homeless, also face robbery charges in Nassau and Suffolk in connection with the crimes. They were arrested on May 1 when officers charged them in connection with the robbery of a Carvel on New York Avenue in Huntington Station.