A man who tried to leave a store on Linden Boulevard in East New York without paying for beer cans pulled a knife and slashed three workers who confronted him, leaving one of them hospitalized and the suspect on the run. The attack happened as employees tried to stop him from walking out without paying.
According to News 12 Brooklyn, the suspect entered the business, grabbed several cans of beer and tried to leave the store without paying. When workers stepped in to stop him, police say he attacked all three with a knife before fleeing on foot in an unknown direction. He remained at large as of Friday, authorities said.
The violence left lasting marks on the employees who tried to intervene. A 35-year-old victim suffered cuts to the hands, and a 22-year-old victim also sustained cuts to the hands, per the station's report. A 42-year-old worker was cut on the face and was taken by EMS to Brookdale Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition; the other two were treated at the scene.
NYPD Releases Video and Image of Suspect
Police have released a video and an image of the suspect as they continue searching for him, the outlet reported. Anyone with information has been asked to call the NYPD's tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS. No arrest had been announced as of the report's publication.
The attack adds to a string of recent confrontations in the city tied to disputes over beer or shoplifting at corner stores and chain retailers. In Corona, Queens, three men stabbed a deli worker and made off with several cases of beer in an incident police said happened around 2:20 a.m. on June 21 at a store on 108th Street, according to amNY. In Sheepshead Bay, a deli worker was slashed in the face following a separate dispute over beer, as reported by ABC7 New York.
Pattern of Store Confrontations in East New York
East New York itself has seen other violent encounters tied to shoplifting. In September, a man sprayed a 30-year-old Family Dollar employee in the face after she tried to stop him from leaving without paying, then fled with merchandise, according to a prior Hoodline report on an incident just before 3:30 p.m. at 130 New Lots Avenue. In August, a 44-year-old woman was arrested after police said she stabbed two teenage girls in the abdomen and slashed another in the arm during an attack at a Dollar Tree in Brooklyn, The New York Times reported.
These incidents do not, on their own, establish a broader trend.
For now, the man accused of slashing three workers after trying to leave with beer cans without paying remains at large. Police are continuing to ask the public for help, and anyone with information is urged to come forward using the NYPD's tip line.
