NYC police arrest suspect in shoplifting. He allegedly punched worker and threw him to the ground

A man is being sought by police in New York City after he allegedly attacked a DuaneReade employee for allegedly stealing items from a Manhattan convenience store freezer.

NYPD Crime Stoppers shared photos of the suspect wanted in a robbery at the Duane Reade on Broadway and West 111th Streets in Morningside Heights.

According to the New York City Police Department, the man entered the shop and took items from a freezer. Police said that a female employee of the store, aged 21, approached him as he tried to put them in his bag.
Police described the suspect as a dark-skinned man aged approximately 40 years, six feet tall, weighing around 200 pounds, and then grabbed the victim’s hair before throwing her to the ground. The suspect fled the store, running eastbound on Broadway. The individual was last seen in a red jacket, blue jeans, and red boots.

According to police, there were no injuries as a result.

In their tweet regarding Saturday’s incident, NYPD offered a reward of $3,500 for any information.

Anybody with information should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577–TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57–PISTA (74782) for assistance. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

Police stated that all calls will be kept confidential.

Two Rite Aid locations in Manhattan were forced to close after rampant shoplifting. After a series of shoplifting incidents, a Rite Aid in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen was forced to close last week. The New York Post reported shoplifters stole an estimated $200,000 worth of merchandise between December and January.

On February 15, a Rite Aid store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side will close. Michael Rapaport, actor and comedian, claims he saw a man load two bags with allegedly stolen goods at the Rite Aid store in Manhattan’s Upper East Side earlier in January. Rapaport recorded video footage of the alleged thief walking past a security guard while he carried the bags of loot out front doors.