Police in Brooklyn are on the hunt for an armed robber after an elderly couple was confronted and held at gunpoint during a terrifying overnight robbery. The crime unfolded in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, where two seniors found themselves staring down a gun in the dark hours of the morning, and detectives are now working to track the man responsible.
According to investigators, the robbery happened just after 2 a.m., a time when the streets were quiet and few people were around. It took place near Franklin and Lexington avenues, a residential stretch of the neighborhood, where the couple had the misfortune of crossing paths with the armed man.
The victims were both well into their later years. Police say the man approached a 70-year-old woman and a 68-year-old man, singling out a pair who would have had little chance of fending off an armed attacker. The choice of such vulnerable targets has added to the alarm surrounding the case.
The encounter turned threatening almost immediately. Officials say the man pulled out a gun and demanded the couple's purse and wallet, using the weapon to force their compliance. Confronted with a firearm in the middle of the night, the pair were left with little choice but to hand over what the robber wanted.
Investigators do have something to work with as they try to identify him. The suspect was captured on camera, and police have circulated an image of the man they are searching for in the hope that someone will recognize him and come forward with a name or a location.
For now, the gunman remains at large. Police say no arrests have been made, and they are urging anyone with information about the robbery or the man pictured to contact investigators, as they work to get an armed suspect who preyed on two elderly residents off the streets.