March 26, 1999

JAMAICA MAN CONVICTED OF ROBBING SIX AT GUNPOINT IN CAMBRIA HEIGHTS BARBERSHOP

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the conviction of a 19 year old Jamaica man on charges of robbing six people in a Cambria Heights barbershop on November 1997.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Brian Peterson, 19, of 109-57 Liverpool Street, Jamaica. He was convicted after a two week trial held before Supreme Court Justice Martin Schulman of six counts of robbery in the first degree. He faces a maximum penalty of up to 25 years on each robbery count when he is sentenced on April 13, 1999.

According to the testimony at trial, on November 22, 1997, the defendant went into Victor's barbershop at 222-13 Linden Boulevard in Cambria Heights, pretending to want a haircut. As the barber was about to place a smock around his shoulders and begin cutting his hair, an armed gunmen came in and herded five barbers, one patron and the defendant into a backroom. The defendant then produced a Tec 9 machine pistol and together with the first gunman forced the six victims to lie down on the floor and robbed them. On the way out of the shop the defendant's accomplice, who was never apprehended, fired a shot into the back of one of the barbers who survived.

The defendant was arrested three weeks later after he was found in possession of a wallet stoled in the robbery.

Assistant District Attorney Patrick O'Malley of the Kew Gardens Trial Bureau I which is under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Robert J. Masters and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney James C. Quinn, prosecuted the case.

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