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Man Threatened Workers With Knife After Trying to Rob Bodega Twice: Police

By Lisha Arino | December 3, 2015 6:35pm
 Police said a man attempted to rob a store on the corner of Madison and Rutgers street three times on Nov. 25 and threatened workers with a knife before fleeing.
Police said a man attempted to rob a store on the corner of Madison and Rutgers street three times on Nov. 25 and threatened workers with a knife before fleeing.
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DNAinfo/Lisha Arino

LOWER EAST SIDE — A man threatened the staff of a grocery store at knifepoint last week after trying to rob them twice earlier that night, police said.

The man entered Madison Grocery Corner, located at 197 Madison St., and asked for a free Metrocard around 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 25, police said. A store worker refused, according to the NYPD, and told the man to leave.

He left but returned about five minutes later, said police and bodega owner Sam Saeer. This time, the man tried to get behind the counter but Saeer stopped him, leading to a fight inside the store, he said.

“I tried to knock him down but he wouldn’t fall,” said Saeer, who broke a few of his knuckles in the scuffle.

The man left the store, according to bodega worker and the NYPD, but he returned a third time with a folding knife.

"He was drunk. He tried to stab me. He tried to stab the workers,” Saeer said, explaining there were four employees working at the time.

Saeer said he called the police multiple times after the second incident but they did not arrive until after the third visit.

The man escaped after a friend popped into the store and gave him a warning about the police’s arrival, Saeer said. The suspect fled to an unknown location, according to the NYPD.

Police described the suspect as a 5-foot-10 man, with brown eyes and long, black hair worn in braids. Saeer said the man was “skinny” and appeared to be in his mid-20s.

Other recent crimes in the 7th Precinct include:

► Police arrested Faud Adenuga, 30, for withdrawing $70,000 from a 32-year-old man’s bank account using his personal information.

Prosecutors said Adenuga withdraw cash from several TD Bank branches in the Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn — including the bank’s locations at 314 Grand St. in the Lower East Side and a 155 Canal St. in Chinatown — between Oct. 3 and 6, although the withdrawals were not reported until Dec. 1, according to the NYPD.

Adenuga was charged with grand larceny and identity theft, prosecutors said. His bail was set at $75,000 cash or bond with a 72-hour surety, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. He is due in court on Dec. 7.

Adenuga’s attorney declined to comment.

► A thief stole a Citi Bike in front of 151 Essex St. after 25-year-old man left it unattended on the sidewalk for about four minutes while he went inside, police said. Security cameras captured a man taking the bike, according to the NYPD.

A description of the suspect was not immediately available.