3 charged with robbing Hempstead store

Three men were arrested Friday in Hempstead and charged with robbery after police arrived and prevented their getaway from a South Franklin Street convenience store, Nassau County police said.

About 4:30 p.m., Elvin Velasquez, 21, of Myrtle Avenue, and Orlando Argueta, 32, of Grove Street, entered the AK1 Express, 15 S. Franklin St., while a third man, Santos Manzanares, 38, of Jean Avenue, waited in a nearby vehicle, police said.

Inside the store, police said, Velasquez threatened a 25-year-old employee with a knife and demanded money, and Argueta threatened a 49-year-old female customer with a knife.

The men fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash and got into a Nissan Pathfinder driven by Manzanares, according to police.

Hempstead Village police officers arrived and blocked the Pathfinder from leaving, police said.

Money was recovered but no weapons were found.

The three men are charged with first-degree robbery and second-degree robbery. Argueta is also charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in connection with a previous incident.

The suspects are awaiting arraignment in First District Court in Hempstead.