Elmwood Sweet Shop Robbed at Gunpoint Last Wednesday

Last Wednesday evening, July 20, two men robbed the at gunpoint, taking cash from the register, according to Maplewood Police.

The incident joins two other criminal acts in the last week where a in Maplewood.

At the Elmwood Sweet Shop, the owner reported that the two men entered the shop around 8 p.m. One of the men approached the counter with some food items as if he planned to make a purchase, but, as the store owner opened the register, the man produced a handgun and demanded the money from the register.

The second suspect then ran around the counter and removed the cash from the register, according to the store owner. Both of the men then fled the store running east on Elmwood Avenue towards Irvington. 

The man with the gun is described as a dark-skinned black male, 5’6” tall, 25 to 30 years of age, wearing a white T-shirt. The second suspect is described as a black man, 20 to 30 years of age, very skinny, wearing a white T-shirt. The store owner was not injured in the incident.

This week's police blotter, which comes to us courtesy of Capt. Paul Conlon of the Maplewood Police Department, contains two other items:

July 19, 2011: Attempted Theft: A resident on Hughes Street was watering his lawn in the afternoon when he observed a teenage male approach his neighbor’s driveway riding a BMX style bicycle. The teenager dismounted from the bike and entered the passenger side door of a 1999 Toyota Avalon parked in the driveway and began to rummage through the interior of the car.  The resident yelled to the actor which caused him to return to his bike and flee south on Hughes St towards Schaeffer Rd.  There were no items removed from the unlocked car, however, damage was done to the dash board and stereo system.  The actor is described as a dark skinned black male, 5’10” to 6’ tall, 16 to 18 years of age, 170 lbs., with short brown hair, wearing a white tank top and brown cargo shorts.

July 19, 2011: Robbery: At 11:20 pm a 27 year old man on Newark Way was approached by three teenage males as they walked down the street. One of the actors asked the victim to use his cell phone and when the phone was handed over the actor took off running with it.  As the victim attempted to retrieve his phone a second teenager blocked the man’s path and reached in the area of his waste band as if he was about to produce a weapon.  The three actors then ran away with the victim’s Apple I-Pod cell phone. The victim was not injured in the incident and no other items were taken. The teenager that took the phone is described as a black male, 17 years of age, 5’9” tall, average build, low hair cut and wearing a white tank top and khaki cargo shorts.  The second actor is described as a light skinned black male, 18, thin build, wearing a dark hoody over his head.  The third suspect, a black male, was approximately 16 years of age, thin build, wearing blue jeans, and a t-shirt. All three suspects ran south on Newark Way.