CLINTON HILL — Dozens of police burst into a Clinton Hill cafe Friday afternoon and arrested a man who had run through the backyard of the business, according to startled witnesses.
The man ran into the yard of Brewklyn Grind Coffee Roasters on Myrtle Avenue near Classon Avenue from an adjoining door at about 4 p.m., customers told DNAinfo New York.
"He looked around confused. He was wearing bright red pants, like cardinal red," said a Pratt student who was sitting in the yard with a classmate. "He then ditched his sweater by the dumpster and hopped the fence. About 20 seconds later this cop came out the door."
A single officer came through the back door of the Leisure Life menswear store, next to the café, seconds later and asked the students, "Where did he go?" They said they both pointed toward the fence on the west side of the outdoor space.
The adjoining yard is surrounded by 20-foot walls, and the suspect quickly realized he was trapped, witnesses said.
“Why are you chasing me?” the man asked as the officer called for backup, the students said.
The officer then told the suspect to get down on the ground while he waited for dozens of officers who arrested the suspect, said the students.
“[It] could have been scary, but it was not as scary as I thought it would be,” said barista Elizabeth Edwards, 26. “[I’m] glad everyone is okay. We're always prepared, especially in this neighborhood. It's still changing.”
Police did not have any immediate information on what the man was suspected of doing.
