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Group Of Teens Targeting Midtown Newsstands In Violent Crime Spree, Police Say

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police say a group of teens is behind a string of violent newsstand robberies in Manhattan.

According to authorities, the seventh and latest robbery took place on Wednesday around 6 p.m. near the corner of 38th Street and 6th Avenue.

Surveillance video shows two of the boys standing behind the newsstand while another two walk in front and linger on the other side.

When the newsstand's operator goes to the front to put more items into the cooler, the video shows two teens distract him while the others run in and rob the counter.

midtown newsstand robbery pattern
Group of teens wanted in connection to string of newsstand robberies in Midtown. (credit: NYPD)

At the end of the incident, one of the suspects also steals more items from the front of the stand before casually walking away.

"I tell them why are they doing this, but no answer," newsstand owner Mohammed Haque said.

It happened fast, and Haque tells CBS2 he was outnumbered.

"They are four people, five people, how can I fight them?" he said.

Police have connected this group to all of the robberies across Midtown starting on Jan. 15.

In one instance a 39-year-old woman on West 57th Street near 10th Avenue was punched in the face. In other incident, a newsstand employee who tried to stop the teens was punched as well.

All of the victims were treated for minor injuries at local hospitals.

The group has gotten away a cell phone, candy, food, and more than $600 in cash.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting them to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

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