Frozen yogurt shop owners and patrons can rest easy. The man responsible for this past month’s string of Brooklyn robberies has been arrested.
Police report that 50-year-old Robert Coston was arrested on Friday night at Linden Motor Inn in Brooklyn. Coston was identified thanks to an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip, and has been charged with first-degree robbery for 10 armed hold-ups. Three of these incidents occurred at the same Tasti D-Lite on 7th Avenue.
Coston told reporters on Saturday night that he did it to pay for his sons’ college tuitions. Accounts by those robbed say that Coston was unusually contrite, apologizing even while taking the money. From the New York Post:
Tasti D-Lite owner Mayer Levy said the thief appeared “very calm” while apologizing on one occasion.
“He said, ‘I’m sorry. I hate to do this. I have a family to feed,’ ” Levy recalled.
The Daily News adds that Coston has previous arrests for grand larceny, drug possession, assault, menacing and robbery.
