Guard Shot During Attempted Jewelry Store Robbery at Waldorf-Astoria

-- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 11/17/2008 2:49:00 PM

A retired New York City Police Department detective was shot and wounded in a Saturday daytime robbery attempt at a jewelry store in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, according to media reports.

The retired officer, Gregory J. Boyle, 54, was working as an armed employee for Cellini Jewelers in the famed hotel's lobby, Newsday reports.

A man in a black track suit entered the store at 2:42 p.m. and smashed two glass display cases with the butt of a handgun, a police source told the newspaper.

The security guard tackled him, and as they struggled, the suspect's gun fired at least six shots, hitting Boyle in the chest near his left armpit and in his left forearm, police told the newspaper.

Another employee tackled the suspect. His gun fired again, but no one was struck.

Hotel security staffers arrived and took the suspect, Rafael Rabinovich-Ardans, 20, of New York City Park, into custody, Newsday reports. He faces charges that include attempted second-degree murder, attempted grand larceny, and criminal use of a firearm.

Boyle is in stable condition and is doing well, the newspaper reports.