FORT GREENE — A thief who snatched a tip jar from a neighborhood coffee shop threatened to shoot an employee who chased after him, police and the worker said.
The sticky-fingered suspect, who had been seen walking up and down the street throughout the day, went into Smooch Cafe at 264 Carlton Ave. around 1:10 p.m. on Jan. 31, according to a police report and cafe worker James Hardy.
He asked for a strawberry and a blueberry muffin before leaving, saying he had to go to the ATM, recalled Hardy, 22.
The suspect started walking up and down the street again, going in between cars and checking to see if they were unlocked, the employee said.
He walked back into the cafe and apologized for taking so long, asking if he could get the muffins toasted, Hardy said.
The suspect then looked around the cafe, grabbed the tip jar and ran, the employee recounted.
Hardy ran after him, chasing him through parts of Fort Greene Park and down to Fulton Street.
When they reached Fulton Street, the suspect turned around and said, “I don’t want to shoot you man,” according to Hardy.
At that point, Hardy gave up on the chase.
“I’d rather get out of that situation than risk myself for $20,” he noted.
The cafe worker said police eventually recovered the tip jar with the money missing on a nearby street.
Police are now looking for the suspect, who Hardy describe as about 18 or 19 years old.
Other notable crimes from the 88th Precinct include:
► A 56-year-old man was waiting at the bus stop at North Portland and Flushing avenues around 10:40 p.m. on Jan. 31 when two suspects tried to rob him at knifepoint, police said. One of the suspects put a knife to his back and said, “If you don’t give me your stuff I’ll kill you,” while the other threatened him with a pair of scissors. However, the suspects took off without taking anything and the man was uninjured, police said.
► A suspect pepper-sprayed a bodega worker who tried to stop him from stealing $9 worth of Guinness, Red Bull and candy, police said. The employee at the Mr. Coco bodega at 414 Myrtle Ave. followed the suspect out of the store at 3:50 p.m. on Feb. 1 while calling 911 when the suspect sprayed the worker. Nobody at the store would comment on the incident.
