An Upper East Side Starbucks turned into a crime scene Friday afternoon, when an armed and dangerous suspect robbed the coffee shop at gunpoint in broad daylight, his terrifying threat to shoot the baristas coming exactly two weeks after a Yorkville deli clerk was murdered during a botched robbery, police confirm to Upper East Site.
The three baristas were seen still inside the Starbucks at 822 Lexington avenue a half hour after the frightening crime, at least one of them visibly distressed, as NYPD officers gathered evidence.
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One barista’s hands trembled as he twisted the deadbolt to unlock the front door and allow two cops to leave the popular coffee house located at the corner of East 63rd Street in Lenox Hill. A sign taped to the front door informed customers that the Starbucks was closed due to an emergency.
Investigators say it all started around 5:00 pm, when the victims say the suspect walked into the Starbucks and asked the baristas for a cup of ice. Next, he grabbed a tote bag off the wall and when confronted by an employee, police say he became agitated — that’s when things got physical and the suspect started throwing things behind the counter inside the coffee shop that sits next to a bustling UES subway station.
As the situation escalated, police say the raging suspect brandished a black pistol and threatened to shoot the baristas, before escaping out the door on Lexington Avenue and running southbound towards 62nd Street.
This comes exactly two weeks after the shocking murder of 67-year-old Sueng Choi, known as Michael, a clerk working the night shift who was shot and killed during a robbery at Daona Gourmet Deli & Market, located at 201 East 84th Street, back on Friday, March 3rd.
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The suspect in that murder, Kimond Cyrus, was arrested and is currently in custody and pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, the suspect in the Upper East Side Starbucks robbery is only described by police as man standing roughly 6’1” tall and weighing around 200 pounds. At this point, no surveillance images have been released of the suspect.
Despite these two very frightening crimes, NYPD data shows the Upper East Side’s 19th Precinct has had success driving down the number of robberies, which have fallen 20% since the start of the year, as compared to the same time last year.
If you witnessed the robbery or have any information that could help police, you’re asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477.
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