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Duane Reade Employee Gets Shoplifter to Return Some Items He Tried to Steal

By Lisha Arino | November 20, 2014 5:26pm
 Police say four men stole a box of diabetes test strips and five boxes of antacids from a Duane Reade at 180 W. 20th St. on Nov. 12.
Police say four men stole a box of diabetes test strips and five boxes of antacids from a Duane Reade at 180 W. 20th St. on Nov. 12.
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DNAinfo/Lisha Arino

CHELSEA — A Duane Reade employee convinced a man trying to steal diabetes test strips and antacids from a display case to return some of the items, police said.

Four men entered the 180 W. 20th St. store at 6:22 p.m. on Nov. 12, police said, and one of them unlocked the display case using a stolen key while the others began to grab items, according to the NYPD.

Police said an employee confronted one of the men during the theft and convinced him to put some stolen items back, but the group made off with a $36 box of Walgreens-brand diabetic strips, a $10 pack of 14-count Prevacid antacids, an $18 box of 28-count Prilosec antacids and three boxes of 42-count Prilosec antacids worth $70.

The branch’s store manager believed the men had stolen from the store before because another manager had mentioned that similar diabetic test strips had been stolen, police said.

A manager at Duane Reade declined to comment.

Other notable incidents in the 10th Precint include:

► A woman lost more than $4,000 in property after a burglar climbed the fire escape and entered her Eighth Avenue apartment through the back window at 10:45 p.m. on Nov. 14, police said.

The thief took her $1,500 Apple MacBook Pro, police said, as well as $1,200 in cash that was stored in a box and seven MetroCards worth $525. An iPad valued at $575, black shoes worth $270 and three gold rings worth $75 were also stolen from the apartment, police said.

► A thief made off with a photographer’s bag and camera gear on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m., police said.

Police said the 34-year-old photographer was working an event at TAO Downtown, 92 Ninth Ave., when he put down the bag on the floor. When he came back for the bag five minutes later, he discovered it missing, along with the equipment inside, according to the NYPD.

In addition to the $50 backpack, the victim lost one Canon camera worth $2,500 and another worth $1,200, as well as two lenses worth $700 each and $300 Tommy Hilfiger sunglasses.

TAO Downtown declined to comment.

► A man lost his $400 black backpack and property worth $2,900 after a thief grabbed the bag while the victim was eating at Artichoke Basille’s Pizza, at 114 Tenth Ave., on Nov. 14 at 12:45 a.m., police said.

The backpack had been placed on top of the 43-year-old man’s luggage, which was next to him, according to the NYPD.

The bag contained a $2,000 MacBook Pro, $500 iPad, $400 Bose headphones and a checkbook, police said.

Artichoke Basille’s Pizza declined to comment.