NYPD: Man Steals $900 From Brooklyn Bodega After Firing Handgun
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police are looking for a man who they said robbed a Brooklyn bodega at gunpoint over the weekend.
The incident occurred just before 7:40 p.m. Sunday at a store on Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene.
The suspect walked into the store, pulled out a black .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun and demanded money from the clerk, police said.
The clerk, Yahya Alblabi, tried to grab the weapon and then ducked when the suspect fired one round, striking the wall, CBS 2's Andrea Grymes reported.
The suspect then jumped onto the counter and took $900 from the register before fleeing, police said.
No one was injured during the incident.
Alblabi explained to CBS 2's Alice Gainer how he literally dodged a bullet, and said that if he had not ducked he might be dead.
"He said 'give me money,' and I look at him like he's joking. 'Give me money, give me money, hurry up,' after that I stand up, I say 'get the [expletive] outta here,'" he said.
The gunman wasn't kidding, and that is when the shot was fired.
"After that I tell him it's ok, take the money," Alblabi said.
Ayesh Shami, who works the morning shift at Park Candy & Grocery, said he is worried that what happened to his co-worker could happen to him.
"I have family, I have kids," Shami said. "I'm very scared."
"I'm like, 'Oh my God, this is my neighborhood,'" said customer Loretta Swindell. "Desperate times, it's so desperate out here."
"I'm not surprised, not in this neighborhood because everything happens around here," said customer Hippie Ortiz.
The suspect is described by police as an adult male, standing 5-feet 9-inches tall, weighing approximately 160 pounds. He was wearing a black mask, a gray jacket, black jeans and black sneakers.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips to the Crime Stoppers website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
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