Police: Men posing as officers robbed, abducted man
A motorist was handcuffed, abducted and robbed by four men after he stopped his car in Valley Stream for what he thought were the flashing lights of an unmarked police car, detectives said yesterday.
The victim, 52, who was held captive at gunpoint for almost two hours, was eventually released unharmed, police said. Nassau detectives said they are seeking the four men who committed this crime by posing as police officers.
Police gave this account:
A Valley Stream resident was driving a 2003 Lexus west on North Hillside Avenue near Clarendon Drive about 6 p.m. Wednesday when he saw in his rearview mirror a silver sedan with blue and red police-type lights flashing.
When he stopped the Lexus, a man wearing a black hooded sweatshirt got out of the silver sedan carrying a flashlight, approached his car and asked for the victim’s driver’s license.
The Valley Stream man was then told that he had some unpaid parking tickets. When he obeyed the person he thought to be a police officer and exited his car, he was handcuffed and placed in the rear seat of the robber’s sedan.
One of four men from that vehicle drove the victim’s car, and the two cars traveled in Nassau and Queens, during which time the victim was threatened with a gun and robbed of cash and his cell phone.
He was released with his car at 130th Road and 243rd Street in Rosedale, Queens, about 8 p.m. by the four men, who drove off in their own vehicle.
Detectives ask anyone with information on the incident call Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS.
