Four People Charged in String of Bank, Gas Station Robberies in Suffolk County

SCPD photos: (from top left clockwise) Shabril Maxwell, Robert DiGrazia, Douglas McKeefery and Stacey Beck

Four people face robbery charges stemming from a string of bank and gas station robberies in Suffolk County over the past month, Suffolk Police said.

The arrests came following a robbery in Commack last week.

According to police, a man entered the Shell gas station, located at 444 Commack Road, on Jan. 22, around 7 p.m. After making a purchase, the man pointed toward his waistband indicating that he had a weapon. He then made a verbal demand for cash. When the clerk failed to comply, the man fled without proceeds into a waiting vehicle, police said.

A good Samaritan followed the vehicle for a short distance and gave an accurate description to the police. Patrol officers saw a vehicle that matched the description and initiated a traffic stop, police said. After an investigation, the officer arrested Shabril Maxwell, of Copiague, Stacey Beck, of Bay Shore, and Douglas McKeefery, of North Babylon, police said.

Maxwell had been a person of interest in several of the bank and gas station robberies, police said. Further investigation revealed Robert DiGrazia, of Deer Park, was also a person of interest and police arrested DiGrazia Thursday on Long Island Avenue in Deer Park around 1:30 p.m., police said.

Following a thorough investigation between First Squad, Fourth Squad, and Special Investigation Section detectives, it was determined that a combination of the suspects robbed or tried to rob the following gas stations and banks, police said:

• DiGrazia was charged with third degree robbery for robbing the Roslyn Savings Bank, located at 363 East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station, on Dec. 29 around 11:30 a.m.
• Maxwell and DiGrazia were charged with third degree robbery for robbing the TD Bank, located at 2178 Deer Park Ave. in Deer Park, on Jan. 11 around 2:10 p.m.
• Maxwell and DiGrazia were charged with third degree robbery for robbing the Bethpage Federal Credit Union, located at Route 109 in East Farmingdale, on Jan. 12 around 2:15 p.m.
• Maxwell was charged with first degree attempted robbery for attempting to rob the Valero gas station, located at 355 Bay Shore Road in Deer Park, on Jan. 17 around 7:15 p.m.
• Maxwell was charged with first degree robbery for robbing the Valero gas station, located at 490 Broadway in Amityville, on Jan. 17 around 7:45 p.m.
• Maxwell and DiGrazia were charged with first degree robbery for robbing the Valero gas station, located at 1100 Sunrise Highway in North Amityville, on Jan. 18 around 11 p.m.
• Maxwell and DiGrazia were charged with second degree robbery for robbing the Roslyn Savings Bank, located at 363 East Jericho Turnpike in Huntington Station, on Jan. 19 around 1:40 p.m.
• Maxwell, Beck, and McKeefery, were charged with third degree attempted robbery for attempting to rob the Shell gas station, located at 444 Commack Road in Commack, on Jan. 22 around 7 p.m.

DiGrazia, 24, is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Friday. Maxwell, 21, of Copiague, Beck, 32, of Bay Shore, and McKeefery, 30 of North Babylon, were arraigned last week.

The investigation is continuing, police said.