SOHO — A thirsty thief punched a food vendor in the head on Monday before making off with $15 in cash and three sodas, police said.
The vendor, a 53-year-old Bronx resident, told police he was hawking goods at a food cart parked on the northeast corner of Prince and Greene streets at around 12:50 p.m. Monday when a man pulled him away from the cart by force, then punched him on the right side of the head. He then stole $15 in cash and took three sodas without paying for them, police said.
The victim refused medical attention, police said. The suspect, described as a man in white sneakers and a brown shirt, fled the scene. The investigation is ongoing and there were no arrests as of Tuesday.
Other recent incidents in the 1st Precinct, according to police, include:
► A 63-year-old Brooklyn man said a thief tried to steal his iPhone onboard an E train heading into the Fulton Street station on July 15, then pulled a blade on him when he refused. The victim told police he was sitting on the train at around 4 a.m. when the suspect approached him and told him, “Let me get your phone.” The victim refused and got off the train, but the man followed him to the mezzanine, police said. He then pulled out a blade and told the victim, “Give me your phone or I will f--k you up,” police said. Egland Younge, 62, was arrested and charged with attempted robbery, according to a complaint from the Manhattan District Attorney's office. His lawyer did not immediately respond to request for comment.
► A tourist from Florida claimed her bag was stolen out of her locked hotel room in TriBeCa on July 14, police said. The 37-year-old woman told officers she was staying at The Roxy at 2 Avenue of the Americas, and left the hotel room that evening to dine with her husband. Though the room door was closed when she left, it was open when she and her husband returned, police said. She then discovered her Comme des Garcons bag containing her belongings and $1,500 in cash was missing, police said. She also told police $1,000 was charged to her credit card, which was in the stolen bag. The NYPD says there were no signs of forced entry and no arrests as of Tuesday. A spokesperson for The Roxy did not immediately respond to request for comment.
► An 18-year-old man is accused of shoplifting 3 iPhones, totaling $2,445, from the Apple Store at the World Trade Center Oculus on July 14, then assaulting a Port Authority officer who attempted to arrest him for the crime when he returned to the store the following day, police said. Port Authority spokesman Joseph Pentangelo told DNAinfo New York that Tiereek James, 18, was arrested on July 15 inside 155 Greenwich St. and was charged with grand larceny and assault in the second degree in connection with the pair of incidents.
When the Port Authority officer tried to arrest James, he attempted to flee and struggled with the officer, leaving the officer with a broken thumb, police said. An alleged shoplifting accomplice, Tishawn Byam, 17, was also arrested on July 15, police said, and has been charged with grand larceny, according to a complaint from the Manhattan DA's office. An employee at the Apple Store declined to comment, and attorneys for Byam and James did not immediately respond to request for comment.
► A 29-year-old Queens woman driving an ice cream truck said her purse, containing $4,000 in cash, was stolen out of the truck while it was parked at the northwest corner of Park Row and Centre Street on July 17, police said. The victim told officers she left her purse by the driver’s seat while serving customers out of the back of the truck, but when she returned, the purse was gone. There were no arrests as of Tuesday.
► A shoplifter swiped $1,036 worth of shirts from the John Varvatos outpost in the World Trade Center’s Oculus on July 17, police said. A store employee told cops a male suspect entered the shop and took seven long-sleeved shirts from the store shelf, hiding the shirts under a blazer draped over his left arm. There were no arrests as of Tuesday, the NYPD said. A store manager confirmed the incident but declined to comment further.
► A 53-year-old man delivering boxes to the Seraphine store at 464 West Broadway on July 17 told police a pack of thieves swiped two of the boxes, which contained $4,659 worth of merchandise. The delivery man told police the packages were on a transport hand cart, and that four unknown suspects took two packages, then fled on foot northbound on West Broadway. A store manager told DNAinfo they were supposed to receive 12 boxes and only received 10, but had not been updated on the situation as of Tuesday. The NYPD said there were no arrests as of Tuesday.
► A 61-year-old Brooklyn resident told police a burglar swiped his iMac and other assorted electronics from his office at 285 West Broadway on July 16. The victim was at home when he received an alert from his security system that there was an intruder in his office, police said, and a security video reportedly shows a man in a white hat and blue jeans taking the computer and other items. Police said there were no signs of forced entry at the location, and there were no arrests as of Tuesday.
