CHELSEA — A masked man with a golden gun held up a, Eighth Avenue bodega on Valentine’s Day, authorities said.
The man, who is described as 5-foot-8 and 220 pounds, walked into 374 Food Grocery near West 29th Street at 3:45 a.m. last Saturday wearing a hood and white mask covering his head, the NYPD said. He then drew a large gold handgun, walked around the counter and pointed it at Gerasimos Theodorakatos, the self-described "deli man."
"He stuck it at my head like this," Theodorakatos, 67, told DNAinfo New York, pointing to the back of his head. "He had the gun behind my head. Big gun."
The masked man demanded that Theodorakatos walk to the register and remove all the cash, police said. After taking $800, the suspect fled down Eighth Avenue and has not been caught.
Theodorakatos, a widower living in Jackson Heights, said the incident was still "on his mind."
"You don't know, you might lose your life for a split second," he said.
Other recent crimes in the 10th Precinct include:
► A man driving a Maserati used a fraudulent debit card to buy four purses, according to police. On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., the man bought an $800 Balenciaga bag, a $700 Tiffany tote, a $900 Celine tote and a $2,400 Hermes purse at Fisch for the Hip on Seventh Avenue before hopping in his Black Maserati and zooming off, NYPD said.
Terriann Fischer, the store's owner, said the man had a driver's license to match his stolen card.
"Black Maserati, flying in with two guys who come in," she said. She said the store suffered a similar $18,000 loss in the summer.
► A 31-year-old woman was punched in the face at 1 Oak at 4:30 a.m. Saturday as she was leaving the West 17th Street club, according to police. She was collecting her jacket and leaving when the suspect started an argument and punched her in the face, breaking her nose and sending her to Bellevue, police said.
A spokeswoman for 1 Oak declined to comment on the incident.
► A man said two custom furs worth $20,000 were stolen during a party at his apartment, according to police. The 38-year-old man threw a 70-guest catered soiree on Dec. 19 at his place at 420 W. 25th St., according to authorities, and then jetted off to Australia for three weeks. Upon his return, he found the furs missing.
► A $265 dolphin pendant and $227 hoop earrings were missing after a woman put them in UPS boxes on the street for pickup, according to NYPD. The woman said she left the packages out front of 526 W. 26th St. at noon on Jan. 31. She said a pendant, two pairs of earrings and $2,920 of miscellaneous goods were stolen. A spokesman for UPS said they are investigating the incident.
► A 25-year-old man stole a $775 Canada Goose coat from a 23-year-man inside a photography studio on West 15th Street on the afternoon of Feb. 12, according to authorities. The suspect, who is described as 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds with wavy brown hair, also walked off with the victim’s wallet and keys, NYPD said.
