A 37-year-old Manhattan man has been indicted on federal charges for allegedly robbing at least seven people who worked at food stands or restaurants on the Upper West Side at gunpoint. All in a span of two and a half weeks, authorities confirmed Monday.
Ryan Little was arrested Thursday on charges including robbery under the Hobbs Act, a 1946 law that makes it a federal crime to commit robbery in a manner affecting interstate commerce and firearms-related offenses, including being in possession of a weapon. as a convicted felon, a spokesman for the Southern District of New York said.
The first robbery dates back to April 3, when cops allege Little displayed a firearm and stole $500 and a $200 cell phone from a man operating a Broadway coffee cart. The armed robber allegedly went undetected for the next 13 days before committing the other six robberies over the next five days, police said.
On April 16, Little allegedly approached a Taco and Quesadilla truck on Broadway, ordered food, then flashed the gun and stole $500 and a phone from a 19-year-old woman. In that case, police said Little told the woman that she would be back in five minutes and that she would kill her if she left the truck. That was the only death threat.
But the next day, Little allegedly attacked again at a restaurant in Amsterdam Avenue. Cops allege he walked in, asked if they were open, flashed the gun and stole money from the cash register and tip jar.
Less than four hours later, Little allegedly robbed a fruit stand on the southeast corner of Broadway and West 86th Street. Cops say he asked for change for $10 and pulled out the gun when the victim pulled out the money. Little allegedly stole about $150 and started to walk away, then came back for the man’s $850 phone.
Authorities allege that Little committed two armed robberies the following day, April 19, one involving a Mexican food cart on Amsterdam Avenue and the other a mobile food cart on Broadway in 70th Street. He is accused of targeting yet another restaurant, Jimbo’s Hamburgers on Amsterdam Avenue, on April 20. In that case, someone chased Little after he displayed the gun and took $1,500 from the cash register, police allege, and police were able to catch him in St. Nicholas Park.
Little was arrested on the federal charges the next day.
In all, the 37-year-old man allegedly stole nearly $3,000 in cash and multiple cell phones, some with significant cash value. No injuries were reported.
Little remains in custody pending his next court appearance. His registered attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
–
