Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a malefactor who pepper-sprayed an East New York bodega employee before making off with $1,800 and a bag full of CBD products.
The NYPD on Thursday released new video of the suspect, a young man wearing a white-and-purple Jordan sweatshirt and rubber gloves. The man can be seen on video at the store’s cash register counting money before walking out, and returning with gloves and a face mask.
He then jumps over the counter, dons a bottle of mace, and pepper sprays the female employee before slinking out carrying a large bag. Cops say he fled the location northbound on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The employee at the smoke shop, MK Shisha at 74 Pennsylvania Ave., was treated for eye irritation on scene by EMTs.
The suspect has remained on the lam since the May 16 incident.
Year-to-date, robbery is up almost 70 percent in East New York’s 75th Precinct, where the pilfering occurred, according to NYPD data. There have been 373 reported robberies in the area as of June 12, when the most recent data is available, compared to 220 during the same period last year.
If you know this suspect, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, para Español 1-888-57-PISTA. You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter @nypdtips.
