Police Seek Suspect Wanted In Over A Dozen Knifepoint Robberies In Manhattan – CBS New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Police in Manhattan are trying to find a suspect in a string of knifepoint robberies.
Police say throughout the robberies, the suspect corners victims and threatens them with a knife.
Investigators imagine the suspect has pulled off 9 robberies up to now week and not less than 15 since Oct. 9.
Surveillance video reveals the violent thief with a knife in hand, demanding cash from a terrified cashier at Liberty Smoke Store in Hell’s Kitchen.
Monir Kem informed CBS2’s Cory James he handed over $580, however that wasn’t sufficient.
“Then he hit me right here,” Kem mentioned. “‘More cash, extra money,’ and I don’t have any extra money.”
Within the surveillance video, the suspect might be heard telling Kem, “If you happen to name police, I’m going to return again right here.”
Investigators say the suspect targets individuals on the road and in eating places and shops.
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“And in some cases, he shows the knife and makes use of bodily pressure or locations the knife to our sufferer’s neck,” an investigator mentioned. “So we need to seize him off the road earlier than it does escalate into one thing tragic.”
Nasir Warich, the proprietor of Liberty Smoke Store, says in three years of being open, this was a primary.
“An excessive amount of crime this space, so all over the place has an enormous drawback proper now,” he mentioned.
Based on the NYPD, robberies in October 2021 in comparison with October 2020 elevated greater than 16% in New York Metropolis.
“We simply want extra safety, extra vigilance within the neighborhoods … Extra cops across the neighborhood,” one lady mentioned.
Investigators say the suspect’s gotten away with about $3,400 in money and stolen bank cards.
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Anybody who has info relating to these incidents is requested to name the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. Ideas will also be despatched to the NYPDTips Twitter account or submitted on-line at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com.
