Man Charged With Robbing Nassau Gas Station At Gunpoint: Police

GARDEN CITY, NY — A Westbury man was arrested Wednesday and charged in connection with the armed robbery of a Garden City gas station that occurred in December.

According to police, Rafael Estrada, 31, of Taylor Avenue, entered the Mobil Gas Station at 117 Franklin Ave. at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 30. Police said he pulled out a handgun and demanded cash from the register. The clerk complied and was then ordered to the ground, police said. Estrada met with a second man outside the station, whom police have not yet arrested, and police said the two ran off with the cash.

A joint investigation with Garden City and Nassau County detectives determined that the same two men also robbed a 7-Eleven at 531 Fulton Ave. in Hempstead Dec. 21, police said.

At the time of his arrest, police say Estrada was in possession of a substance believed to be cocaine.

Estrada was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree criminal use of a firearm and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to be arraigned later Thursday.