Police are investigating an attack on a Family Dollar employee in East New York after a man left the store with merchandise on September 14. The incident took place just before 3:30 p.m. at 130 New Lots Avenue, in the New Lots section of Brooklyn.
News12 New York reported that, according to police, a 30-year-old employee tried to stop a man who was leaving the store without paying. The man sprayed the employee in the face and fled with the merchandise, police say. The News12 report, authored by Sheyla Torres, does not say whether the employee required hospitalization.
Theft Attempt Ends with Employee Sprayed
The incident involved a theft attempt and an employee being sprayed in the face as the suspect fled with merchandise.
Chemical sprays themselves are legal for New Yorkers 18 and older to carry for self-defense, but using one offensively during a crime is a separate criminal matter. Per the New York State Senate's codification of Penal Law § 270.05, civilians may lawfully possess mace or pepper spray for defensive purposes, but deploying it to commit or further a crime exposes the user to prosecution.
Separately, intentionally injuring a retail worker on the job is punishable as a Class E felony under Penal Law § 120.19, a measure the New York State Senate notes was enacted as part of the state's FY2025 budget in May 2024. Before that law took effect, such assaults on store employees were typically charged only as misdemeanors unless the injury was severe.
New Protections for Retail Workers Taking Shape
The New Lots Avenue incident comes as New York has moved to bolster protections for frontline retail employees. The state's Retail Worker Safety Act, enacted in September 2024 and effective since June 2025, requires retail businesses with at least 10 employees statewide to adopt written workplace violence prevention plans and provide interactive safety training, according to the New York State Department of Labor.
Beginning January 1, 2027, the same law will require large retail employers with 500 or more employees statewide to give workers access to silent panic buttons, the state labor department notes. It is not known from available reporting what specific security measures, if any, have been implemented at this particular Family Dollar location.
Commercial-District Safety Efforts
NYC Small Business Services listed Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation in East New York among recipients of its 2023 Commercial District Lighting Grants. The agency announcement does not say whether grant-funded work involved New Lots Avenue, this Family Dollar, or its block.
The New Lots Avenue Robbery
The robbery occurred at the Family Dollar on New Lots Avenue in Brooklyn.
Robbery complaints in the precinct fell by a similar margin, dropping 17.9 percent to 326 cases through October 11, down from 397 a year earlier, the same NYPD data shows. Citywide, reported retail theft complaints are down 12.4 percent year-to-date, totaling 36,306 incidents across all five boroughs compared with 41,461 during the same stretch last year.
State officials have backed the downward trend with funding: New York's FY2025 budget set aside $40.2 million for dedicated retail theft enforcement teams within state and local police agencies, along with a $5 million tax credit program to help small businesses invest in security cameras and anti-theft upgrades, according to the New York Governor's Office.
Planned Family Dollar Store Closures
Dollar Tree announced in March 2024 that it planned to close roughly 1,000 Family Dollar stores nationwide.
Police have not announced an arrest in the September 14 robbery, and it remains unclear whether detectives have identified the suspect through store surveillance footage. The NYPD is asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
