Suspect charged in string of violent robberies in Queens

FAR ROCKAWAY, Queens (WABC) -- Police have taken into custody a man wanted in a string of violent robberies in Queens.

Authorities say 24-year-old Luke Boynton, of Far Rockaway, is responsible for at least six violent robberies since late last month.

They say all of the victims were beaten or punched after being attacked from behind. Four were attacked in just one day.

It's not clear if the suspect was armed with a gun, but some of the victims were hit with a wooden club or stick.

An employee at NYU Langone Brooklyn reportedly identified the suspect when he walked in for treatment Friday afternoon. The employee had seen Boynton's picture on news reports and called police, who took him into custody and to the local precinct for questioning. He is now charged with six counts of robbery.

Victor Coello is one of his alleged victims, and he said the bumps on his head and bruises on his arm came from two large wooden sticks.

"I took the first stick from him," he said through a translator. "The second he grabbed from a garbage can and started hitting me with it."

The 65-year-old restaurant worker said the suspect didn't even demand money, just pouncing without warning on Cornaga Avenue on October 9.

Coello said after he went down, the suspect went through his pockets but came up empty.

"I couldn't fight back because I have asthma," he said.

In another incident, a 25-year-old man was jumped from behind and beaten with a club for $100.

The victims range in age from 17-72, and three of them are women.