A 50-year-old man was punched, kicked, and left bleeding from a facial laceration after two attackers approached him inside a Brownsville deli, stole his cellphone, and fled westbound. Police are now asking the public for help identifying the pair responsible for the violent robbery, which happened on July 28 inside a building on East New York Avenue.
According to News12 Brooklyn, the two suspects approached the victim inside the deli before punching and kicking him, causing a laceration to his face. During the struggle, the victim's cellphone fell to the floor, and one of the attackers grabbed it before the pair ran off. Police say the suspects left the deli and headed westbound on Pacific Street.
EMS rushed the victim to One Brooklyn Health–Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition, the outlet's report notes.
Police Release Images, Seek Public's Help
Investigators have released images of the two suspects and are asking anyone with information to come forward, per the same account. Tips can be submitted anonymously to NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS, which offers cash rewards of up to $3,500 for information leading to an arrest and indictment in felony cases.
Under New York Penal Law § 160.10, a robbery committed with an accomplice present, or one that causes physical injury to a victim, can be charged as Robbery in the Second Degree — a Class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, according to FindLaw. State law defines physical injury broadly enough to include impairment of physical condition or substantial pain, a standard that could apply to the facial wound the victim suffered.
A Precinct Wrestling With Retail Crime Trends
The attack lands amid a notable split in crime data for the 73rd Precinct, which covers Brownsville. Robberies are actually down 21.3% year-to-date through early October, with 185 incidents reported compared to 235 over the same period in 2025, according to NYPD CompStat data. Total major felony complaints across the precinct fell 14% over the same stretch.
But retail theft complaints in the precinct have surged 68.9% year-to-date, reaching 429 complaints compared to 254 a year earlier, the CompStat figures show.
Lawmakers at multiple levels of government have moved to respond to violence against store workers and customers. New York State elevated causing physical injury to a retail worker on duty to a felony statewide as part of the FY2025 budget, a measure that came paired with $40.2 million in funding for dedicated retail theft law enforcement units, according to the New York State Senate.
City Considers Warning Signs for Store Assaults
The New York City Council introduced legislation in June 2026 that would require delis, bodegas, and other retail stores to post signs near their entrances warning that assaulting a store worker is a felony punishable by up to 25 years in prison, per the NYC Council bill, known as Intro 0954-2026. The measure would task the city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection with setting signage standards and penalties.
This is not the first violent incident reported inside a Brownsville deli this year. In a prior case, an armed suspect targeted multiple Brownsville locations over four days in September, including an attempted gunpoint robbery outside a deli on Saratoga Avenue. It remains unclear whether the East New York Avenue deli where this attack occurred had panic button or camera-linkage technology installed under any of the city's programs, and investigators have not said whether they have traced the suspects' path beyond Pacific Street.
