A horrifying CCTV footage showed an alleged shoplifter attacking an NYPD cop before running from the store. The violent altercation took place at a Duane Reade store on East 34th Street in Murray Hill at 11:30 am on Friday, December 10. DailyMail reported that the attacked cop was left bloodied with a fractured bone to her face.
According to a police report, the incident unfolded when a male suspected thief was recognized by the store's manager from a previous robbery. The manager then asked the cop to step inside the store to keep an eye on him. The footage showed the cop talking to the suspect before he rashly pushed her aside in an attempt to leave the store. As the cop proceeded to get hold of him by his arm, he smacked her into the ground and ran off.
The cop sustained a laceration to her left ear and a fractured bone to her face
The officer, whose identity is not known at the moment, was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where she received treatment for a laceration to her left ear and a fractured bone to the face. Her condition was reported to be stable. The female cop was working a paid security gig at the store, between Lexington and Third Avenues. The drugstore chain in question had begun hiring cops to crack down on shoplifters.
The suspected shoplifter was described as a black male, donning a dark-colored hooded jacket, pants, and shoes. The identity of the suspect is not clear at the moment. It is also not known f anything was taken from the store during the altercation.
The incident comes on the heels of an increasing crime spree in the city. According to DailyMail, robberies have seen a 4.5 percent rise from 2020 to 2021.
