NYC police hunt shoplifting suspect who allegedly punched worker, threw her to the ground

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Police in New York City are searching for a man accused of attacking a Duane Reade employee who confronted him for allegedly stealing items out of a freezer at the Manhattan convenience store. 

NYPD Crime Stoppers shared images of the suspect wanted for a robbery that happened around 10:27 a.m. Friday inside the Duane Reade located on Broadway and West 111th Street in Morningside Heights.

The New York City Police Department said the unknown man entered the store and removed items from a freezer. As he began to place them in his bag, he was approached by a 21-year-old female store employee, who asked him to place the items back, police said. 

NYC RITE AID TARGETED BY SHOPLIFTERS CLOSES, WITH ANOTHER SET TO CLOSE SOON AFTER 

The individual, described as a dark-skinned male approximately 40 years old, standing six feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds, proceeded to strike the victim in the face with a closed fist before grabbing her hair and throwing her to the ground, police said. The individual exited the store fleeing eastbound on Broadway. He was last seen wearing a red jacket, blue jeans and red boots.

NYPD searching for a suspect wanted for a Feb. 11 robbery inside the Duane Reade store in Morningside Heights in Manhattan. (NYPD Crime Stoppers)

There were no injuries reported as a result of this incident, police said. 

In their tweet about the incident Saturday, NYPD offered a $3,500 reward for information. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

All calls are strictly confidential, police said. 

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This comes after rampant shoplifting at Rite Aid stores in Manhattan has forced two locations to close their doors. A Rite Aid in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen closed last week following a string of shoplifting incidents. The New York Post reported that shoplifters had stolen an estimated $200,000 in merchandise in December and January alone. 

A different Rite Aid store, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is set to close its doors on Feb. 15. Actor and comedian Michael Rapaport has said he was at the store earlier in January when he watched as a man loaded two bags full of allegedly stolen goods. Rapaport captured video footage that showed the alleged thief passing a store security guard as he waltzed out the front doors holding the bags of loot. 

Fox News' Stephanie Pagones contributed to this report.