Police are asking for the public’s help identifying a man they believe assaulted a senior straphanger before stealing his wallet at the Atlantic Avenue subway station on Sunday.
According to officers from the 78th Precinct, the 67-year-old victim was approached by the yet-to-be identified assailant at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 21 while inside the Atlantic Avenue station. The suspect then allegedly punched the victim in the face with a closed fist several times, causing injury to his nose.
Before fleeing the scene on foot, cops say, the suspect used force to steal the victim’s bag and wallet.
EMS arrived on the scene shortly after the robbery took place and treated the 67-year-old man for minor injuries.
On Tuesday, cops released a photo of the suspect who is described as being a male with a light complexion and medium build. He was last seen wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt, blue pants, white sneakers and a blue hat.
In the 78th Precinct, where the Jan. 21 incident occurred, there have been eight reported robberies and 10 assaults in the last 28 days, per the latest NYPD data.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident 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 or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @NYPDTips.
All calls are confidential.
