NEW YORK -- Three men suspected of terrorizing dozens of victims in a orgy of armed robbery and sexual abuse in a Long Island home and nearby diner were accused of starting the crime spree at a private party in Brooklyn.
The three suspects faced arraignment today in Brooklyn Criminal Court on charges of robbery, grand larceny, assault, possession of stolen property and dangerous weapons from the Brooklyn raid where cash, jewelry and a late-model Cadillac were stolen.
Authorities said the men would be transferred to Long Island later in the week and charged in the robberies and sexual assaults allegedly committed early Saturday in a Plainview home and a diner in Old Westbury.
Victims in the Long Island incidents were ordered to undress and lie down on the floor while the bandits rifled through clothing for cash and jewelry.
At the diner, where 75 patrons were robbed, one gunman ordered men in the restaurant to have sex with their wives or girlfriends and then laughed as he watched couples simulating the act.
One young woman was forced into a back room and raped. Another woman's earring was ripped from her ear when she did not move fast enough, witnesses said.
Two customers who did not respond quickly to the gunmen's demands where shot in the buttocks. Mark Rosen, 26, of West Hempstead, and Rory Moroney, 16, of Westbury, were listed in stable condition at Nassau Hospital in Mineola.
Police said the bandits came to the door of the Plainview home as a children's party was breaking up. The guests were herded into a room, where they were forced to undress and lie on the floor. Several women were sexually abused and a man was beaten with a blackjack.
The three men, all Brooklyn residents, were arrested after a shootout Saturday with police who had found the stolen Cadillac. No one was injured in the shooting, but one suspect escaped. Police also believe there was a fifth man involved in the bizzare robberies.
Michael Williams, 22, Robert Martin, 21, and Robert Samuels, 19, all of Brooklyn, were charged for the Brooklyn robberies, which police said took place Friday night.
Authorities believe the gang then drove to Plainview where they robbed the family and guests attending a party at the home of Thomas and Janet Reilly at 12:30 a.m. Saturday.
From there the men are believed to have gone to the nearby diner, where they they stole thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry, raped the woman, sexually assaulted several others and shot the two men.
