HARLEM — A man attacked a bodega owner after he refused to sell him a loose cigarette Thursday evening, police said.
A 40-year-old man, whose name was not disclosed, entered the West Harlem Deli Corp., located at 2040 Fifth Ave., at about 9:50 p.m. Thursday and asked the store owner for a loose cigarette, police said.
When the store owner said no, the man became irate and began throwing objects at the owner.
Police also said the man also grabbed a knife and began flailing it while inside the store.
A store worker named Christina, who declined to give her last name, told DNAinfo New York Friday afternoon that the store owner, who could not be reached for comment, said the man hit him with a bottle during the altercation.
“He threw the bottle at his face,” she said. “Then he jumped behind the counter and tried to hit him, that’s what I heard.”
Police said the store owner then used an object to hit the man, which caused him to sustain minor injuries. The man then ran outside the store and attempted to enter a nearby homeless shelter on on West 126th Street which refused to take him, police said.
The owner called the police and when authorities arrived and tried to apprehend the man, he began spitting and trying to fight officers, an NYPD spokesman said.
The man was taken to an undisclosed nearby hospital to treat his minor injuries. Police did not provide any updates on his conditions.
The deli worker said it is common for customers to come into the store and attempt to buy loosies, which are illegal in the city.
