The owner of a Westbury supermarket arrived at his store recently to find his front door shattered and ATM missing.
According to detectives, the owner of Bravo Supermarket, 306 Post Ave., arrived at his store on May 27 at 7 a.m. to find the store’s front door shattered and ATM missing. He called the police and upon reviewing the store’s security video, it was observed that an unknown black male subject smashed the front door, physically dragged the ATM out, and placed it into the rear of a yellow mini school bus, which was parked directly in front of the business. He was then observed fleeing in the bus northbound on Post Avenue. Information regarding the theft and the mini bus was broadcast to area precincts as well as adjacent jurisdictions.
Sometime later, officers from the 111th Precinct in Queens received a call regarding a suspicious person and a yellow mini school bus on Springfield Boulevard near the Grand Central Parkway. After locating the bus, officers observed the ATM on the ground and the subject, David Hughes, 61, in the bus. He was then placed under arrest without incident.
Nassau County police responded to the 111th Precinct and took Hughes into custody.
A subsequent investigation revealed that Hughes stole the school bus from within the confines of the Second Precinct and was also responsible for a July 15, 2013 burglary that occurred at 692 Old Country Rd., Westbury, a convenience store at the time.
Hughes is charged with two counts of burglary in the third-degree, third-degree grand larceny and fourth-degree grand larceny. He was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead May 28.
