Detectives need the public’s help in finding two violent shopkeepers who brutally assaulted a Lower East Side clerk over a stolen case of beer.
The NYPD released on June 9 security camera footage of the wild attack, which took place at about 4:55 a.m. on June 4 inside the Deli and Grill bodega at 523 Grand St.
According to law enforcement sources, the 65-year-old male worker spotted the two suspects entering the location, grabbing a case of Coors Light and then walking out of the store without paying for it.
Cops said the clerk then followed the pair out of the store and confronted them about not paying for the beer. That led to a verbal argument which took a violent turn when the thieves began punching and kicking the man about the body.
The fracas spilled back into the store, as the footage shows. One of the suspects bashed the clerk with an aluminum baseball bat as the worker tried to fight back with a metal pitcher.
As the attack went on, the second suspect walked behind the counter and removed several packs of Newport cigarettes, valued at a combined $450. He then walked back to the front of the store and also attacked the clerk as he fought the bat-wielding perpetrator.
Moments later, cops said, the perpetrators fled from the shop eastbound along Grand Street.
The incident was reported to the 7th Precinct. EMS treated the worker at the scene for minor injuries to his head and body.
Cops described the bat-wielding attacker as a man with a medium build and medium complexion in his 30s, weighing about 160 pounds, with short, black hair and multiple tattoos. He was last seen wearing a pair of black eyeglasses, a black baseball cap, a black t-shirt and black pants.
His accomplice, meanwhile, was described as a man with a medium build and a dark complexion in his mid-30s, weighing about 190 pounds, who wore a black do-rag, a black hooded jacket, a black t-shirt with yellow lettering on the front, and black shorts.
Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
