WILLIAMSBURG — A panhandler begging for money inside a pastry shop grew angry when his demand for cash was rebuffed, trailing the man down the block before following him back to the pastry shop where he punched him and stole his tool bag, police said.
The incident began when the attacker asked for $50 inside the Los Angeles Bakery, at 729 Flushing Ave. about 4 p.m. on Feb. 13, but the 40-year-old victim refused and walked out of the shop down the block, police said.
But the attacker followed the victim down the street and continued to pursue him when the victim returned to the bakery, trying to shake the man, authorities said.
That's when the attacker punched the man, cutting his lip and cheek, according to the NYPD.
The attacker, who was captured in surveillance camera footage, snatched the victim's tool bag that contained a grinder, a hammer, a screw gun, his North Face jacket and a measuring tape worth about $330 in total, according to police.
The attacker fled the scene in a dark grey Nissan. He was last seen wearing a black hat, jeans, a grey coat and white sneakers, according to the NYPD.
Flor Amigon, who was working at the bakery at the time of the attack, rushed behind the counter and dialed 911.
"I thought [the man] was going to kill him," said Amigon in Spanish, who said she hid behind the counter fearing for her own safety. An ambulance soon arrived and took the man to the hospital, she said. "I was scared."
"I hope to God they catch him," she said.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS or you can submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at or texting tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
