Attempted robbery turns into an assault

A 25-year-old Elmont man was assaulted by two other men — one of whom was armed with a silver handgun — as they attempted to rob him on Jan. 27, police said.

According to the Nassau County Police Department’s 4th Squad, the victim, a Sweetman Avenue resident, had returned to his home from a nearby gas station when he was approached by two black men as he was about to unlock his front door. The men demanded that he open his house door and give them his keys, police said, but he refused. The armed man struck the victim with his gun several times, causing a laceration of the victim’s head. The struggle for his keys continued, according to police, before the men fled on Sweetman Avenue toward Travis Avenue.

The victim refused medical attention at the scene, police said. He described the man with the gun as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 200 pounds and wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and a black mask covering his face. The man without the gun was described as 6 feet tall, 180 pounds and wearing dark clothes, a skullcap and a black mask.

Detectives ask anyone with information about the crime to contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS.