Two Men Arrested in Valley Stream Target Robbery, Loss-Prevention Worker Threatened

Nassau County Police Fifth Squad detectives arrested Jahkeli Mason, 19, of Springfield Gardens, and Darren Gordon, 36, of St. Albans, after an alleged shoplifting at the Target at 500 W. Sunrise Highway in Valley Stream that escalated into a physical confrontation. The incident occurred Friday, February 27, 2026, at approximately 3:26 p.m., according to police and court records.

Investigators say the two men selected assorted merchandise, loaded items into a shopping cart, passed all points of purchase and exited the store without paying. Outside the entrance, Loss Prevention personnel confronted the pair; the defendants allegedly threatened and shoved a Loss Prevention employee before fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported from the confrontation, Nassau County Police said.

Officers located the suspects a short time later nearby, prompting a brief foot pursuit. Both men were taken into custody without further incident, Fifth Squad detectives reported. Authorities have not released the value or detailed inventory of the merchandise taken.

Both Mason and Gordon were charged with Robbery in the Second Degree and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree. Court records show the defendants were arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on February 28, where they pleaded not guilty and were released on non-monetary conditions. One report listed a return date of March 17 for the next court appearance.

A police statement included the reminder: "Police remind the public that criminal charges are accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law." At least one outlet ran a photo credited to the Nassau County Police Department.

This Target episode is separate from a different alleged retail robbery in Valley Stream reported in another case. That earlier report described an incident at a PetSmart on 14 West Circle Drive by Green Acres Mall, where two men allegedly left with a shopping cart of merchandise at 1:18 p.m. and one man produced a knife; that report identified three suspects by name and listed additional weapons and controlled-substance charges. That PetSmart incident is not connected to the Target case and the PetSmart report did not specify the year of the event.

The Target case remains in the pretrial phase with robbery and grand larceny counts pending in First District Court in Hempstead; Mason and Gordon are scheduled to return to court on the date listed in the arraignment records.