Albany Police announced Wednesday that they have arrested 22-year-old Kendrick Powell in connection to a violent armed robbery and beating. He is charged with armed robbery, possesion of a firearm in the commission of a crime, and aggravated assault.
18-year-old Ahsan Ayaz was scared for his life as three men held guns to his head, robbed and then beat him.
Ayaz lay on the ground, holding his head until this nightmare was over. "Give them money and get them out of here," he said was his only thought.
Ayaz says that's all he was thinking when the masked men approached him, demanding money. He's a clerk at the Neighborhood Grocery Store on Johnson Road and had just finished up locking up around 11pm Monday night when the terror unfolded.
"I was locking the door and I was about to get in my car and from nowhere three guys came in, got a gun, pointed it at my head. I emptied my pockets while one of them checked in my truck, one of them was going through the inside of my car," explained Ayaz.
The suspects took his cell phone and car keys, but that wasn't enough.
"And they told me to open the door, open the safe. I did that and then they beat me inside," said Ayaz.
You can see in this surveillance video that even though Ayaz followed their orders, the men hit him several times, before taking off with cash. Ayaz says the men made off with close to $12,000 dollars.
"Of course, I want them to catch them and put them in jail, take them off the streets," said Ayaz.
Evelyn Jenkins, who lives down the street from the store wants these men behind bars too. Jenkins says this violent armed robbery is surprising in what she calls a relatively quiet area.
"Because you know, a neighborhood store and a lot of people in walking distance to the store. But I don't linger around up there. Even if I go, I get it and come out. But I'll be very careful," said Jenkins.
Ayaz and his family who own the store are just thankful he wasn't seriously injured. Ayaz believes it could of been a very different outcome if he hadn't unlocked the door and handed over the money.
The three armed suspects were all black men. One was wearing a blue hoodie, a white T-shirt and black jeans. Another was wearing a blue jumper and a blue scarf around his head. The third was wearing a camouflage and gray pants.
If you saw anyone matching that description Monday night around 11:00 in the Johnson Road area call crime stoppers at 436-TIPS.
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Police have arrested 22-year-old Kendrick Powell
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