WEST VILLAGE — Three teenage boys robbed a bodega on Bleecker Street then beat up the store's 57-year-old owner when he tried to stop them, police said.
Police said the owner of Bleecker Farm at 272 Bleecker St. spotted two of the 18-year-old boys snatch items from the fridge and run out of the store without paying about 4:50 a.m. on July 21.
A third friend, also 18, ran out with him but the owner was able to stop him outside the store and demanded he pay for the items, police said.
Police said the third teen shoved the 57-year-old owner in the back and ran out of the store where his friends were waiting outside. The three teens then assaulted the store owner, police said, punching him in the face and body and wrestling him to the ground, leaving him with bruises and cuts to his face, head and elbow.
A store manager declined to comment over the phone.
The three teens were charged with robbery in the second degree at their July 21 arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court and held for a few days before posting $2,000 cash bail each on July 26.
One of the teen's attorneys did not immediately respond to a voicemail left for comment, and a second was unavailable because he was in court. The third said the investigation is ongoing.
"The prosecutors are investigating further also," said defense attorney Glenn Marshall. "I’m told there’s a video."
The teens are due back in court Oct. 6.
