NEW YORK—A 22-year-old part-time clerk was working alone in a smoke store on West 4th Street late on Tuesday, July 9.
Sometime after 10:30 pm, two men walked into the store. One of them flashed an NYPD badge and told him they were undercover detectives. They accused the clerk of selling cigarettes to a minor.
When the clerk replied that he hadn’t sold to minors, one of the men told him to come outside the store.
The other man remained inside the store, and quickly cleaned out the cash register. He then stuffed cigarettes into his pockets and under his shirt. Then both men ran.
The store’s manager, Ali, said the young clerk’s first reaction was to call him. Then the clerk called the police.
Ali estimates that the thieves took off with $1200 from the register and about $300 worth of cigarettes.
Today, one month after the crime took place, the NYPD posted a photo of the suspects, taken from the store’s surveillance camera, on Twitter.
If anyone has any information about the suspects, they can contact the NYPD anonymously at 800-577-TIPS.
