Father and young son held hostage, robbed at East Harlem hardware store

EAST HARLEM (WABC) -- A father and his young son were forced into a basement and held hostage.

They feared for their lives as masked gunmen robbed their hardware store.

The terrifying moments unfolded at a store on East 116th Street in East Harlem.

It's a small store, a mom and pop store that barely has room for merchandise and customers.

But it got real crowded Sunday afternoon when at least four men stormed the place and demanded money.

"They all had guns," the owner said.

The owner didn't want to be identified, but he was there with his 10-year-old son, when the men came in around 4 p.m.

"They had the gun, right in my face," the owner said.

Watching all this unfold was the owner's terrified son who was pleading with the gunmen.

"My son stop crying," the owner said.

The owner stopped there for a moment, the memory of his frightened son overwhelming, the child so brave.

"Don't hit my dad, calm down, calm down," the owner said.

The men then forced everyone into the basement before robbing the register.

Surveillance cameras in the store were broken, but cameras down the street did get video of four men leaving the store. Police are still analyzing it.