Surveillance video shows gunpoint robbery at Bensonhurst convenience store
Surveillance footage shows the armed suspect confronting Hossain, shoving him and forcing him to open the cash register.
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A convenience store manager says he's struggling to recover after an armed robbery at a Bensonhurst shop early Sunday morning.
The robbery happened just before 2 a.m. at a store near 17th Avenue and 74th Street and was all caught on surveillance video.
Store manager Ismail Hossain said he was working alone when a man approached him with a gun.
"Then he twisted my arm, and then he pointed the gun here, then he loaded the gun," Hossain recalled.
Surveillance footage shows the armed suspect confronting Hossain, shoving him and forcing him to open the cash register. At one point during the robbery, a customer walks up to make a purchase, apparently unaware that a crime was taking place.
"I was really afraid," Hossain said. "So what I did, I ran into that little room there because I was afraid. Like, he's going to shoot me at any time."
According to employees, the suspect had been a customer at the store before. Police said the robber fled with at least $2,500 in cash.
The emotional impact has lingered long after the robbery ended.
"From that time, I haven't worked until today," Hossain said. "I'm feeling terrible. It's actually traumatizing. As soon as I close my eyes, this is coming in my eyes."
Hossain said he has managed the store for years and had never experienced anything like this before. While he still considers the neighborhood safe, he now worries every time someone walks through the door.
"I'm feeling like everyone is coming to rob me," he said. "I really hope law enforcement do what they have to do, so I can feel safe."
Hossain said the incident has not only taken away his peace of mind, but has also affected him physically. He said he has been hospitalized twice since the robbery and is now dealing with a muscle strain.
Police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to contact authorities.
