Luna Star Cafe Robbery Puts Retired NYC Cop in Hospital

When three masked men armed with pistols entered the Luna Star Café in North Miami this past Saturday night, Ira Goldstein, a retired NYPD officer in his late 60s, intervened. Unfortunately Goldstein wound up in the hospital, and the robber made off with money from the cash register and valuables...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

August 8, 2011

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When three masked men armed with pistols entered the Luna Star Café in North Miami this past Saturday night, Ira Goldstein, a retired NYPD officer in his late 60s, intervened. Unfortunately Goldstein wound up in the hospital, and the robber made off with money from the cash register and valuables from several customers.

The three men entered the popular café and performance space, located at 775 NE 125th St., around 11:30 Saturday night. They ordered the seven people inside to hand over the cash in their wallets and then to drop to the floor. They also pocketed about $500 from the cash register.

"We kept saying, 'Don't hurt anybody; take what you want,' " owner Alexis Sanfield told the Miami Herald.

Goldstein, a regular at the café, began struggling with one of the crooks before a bullet was fired. He was rushed to Jackson's Ryder Trauma Center in stable condition. Doctors stapled a laceration on his head, and he was released Sunday.

The men took off on foot. No other details have been released. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.

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