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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Sunnyside Jewelry Shop Robbed at Gunpoint of $15K in Gold and Jewels: NYPD

Sunnyside Jewelry Store Robbery
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NYPD

SUNNYSIDE — A man held up a Queens Boulevard jewelry store at gunpoint on Friday, threatening to shoot the shop owner before taking off with $15,000 in gold, diamonds and watches, according to the NYPD and the jeweler.

Police said the suspect walked into A.D.L. Jewelers at 39-38 Queens Blvd. at 3:40 p.m. and pulled out a gun, demanding the valuables from the 39-year-old shopkeeper.

The store owner, Artur Debakarov, told DNAinfo New York that the suspect shopped in his store for about a half hour before he brandished his weapon — pretending he wanted to buy jewelry for his wife and son.

"He stayed in my store for 30 minutes before," said Debakarov, saying the thief asked to look at rings, which he told the store owner were for his wife.

"He said, 'Oh, this is too small, do you have something bigger?'" the store owner recalled. "Everything is normal; after that, he changed so fast."

Debakarov said the man pulled out the gun as he was returning some watches to the display case.

The suspect threatened to shoot him, and said something like, "give me all your gold and diamonds," according to the store owner.

"I was very scared," he said.

The thief stole $15,000 in jewels and then fled east on Queens Boulevard, according to police.

Debakarov was unharmed. His store was still closed on Monday, though he is hoping to reopen next week, he said.

Surveillance video from the shop, released by the NYPD, shows the suspect wearing a hat and sunglasses and standing calmly behind the counter.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).