Cops: Teen fights off robbery suspect armed with BB gun
Police are searching for a suspect who they said attacked a 15-year-old boy walking home from school in Valley Stream earlier this month -- a street robbery, they said, that netted the attacker just $1.
And, Nassau County police said, the victim was able to recover the suspect's weapon -- a Marksman repeater BB gun -- following a struggle.
The robbery occurred on Park Drive on May 7 at 3:20 p.m., police said Friday.
The victim, who was walking home from Valley Stream North High School, suffered abrasions to his face, neck and arm, but refused medical attention at the scene, police said.
Police said the teen was walking near a creek bed on Park Drive when he passed the suspect, who was sitting on a bench, only to have the suspect come up behind him and demand his cellphone -- striking the boy in the back of the head with the BB gun, in the process. But, police said, the teen fought the robber off, retrieving the gun as the attacker fled.
Police described the robber as a teen, about 150 pounds with a thin build and short brown or black hair with a scar or shaved area on his right eyebrow. He wore a blue hooded sweatshirt and tan shorts.
Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All calls will remain confidential.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
