Caught on video: Laundromat worker bashed with hammer after confronting robbery suspect
NEW YORK -- Police say a robbery suspect attacked a 70-year-old laundromat worker with a hammer in Brooklyn.
It happened shortly before 5 a.m. last Thursday inside Aqua Wash Laundromat on East 98th Street in Brownsville.
Surveillance video shows a man in a green t-shirt peering over the counter early on Aug. 4, eyeing the cleaning products for sale.
He lets himself into the back and starts stealing the merchandise when a 70-year-old employee tries stopping him by throwing a hammer. Instead of being scared off, the suspect rushes the counter for the second time.
"Disgusting, disgusting," one customer told CBS2's Christina Fan.
"I don't come at night. A lot of people I know like to wash at night, because it's empty. But I don't think it's too safe," one customer said.
The ensuing struggle shows the employee getting dragged along the ground.
The thief, now in possession of the hammer, uses it to strike the victim four times in the head before escaping.
"It does make me angry, because if he wanted something, he could have asked, and he could have given it to him, because I know he is that gentle," another customer said.
Longtime customers say the victim is as brave as he is kind.
After paramedics treated him for cuts to his head, he was back at work that same day -- working overnights.
Shwante Perryman, who lives nearby, says the business has been robbed before, and constantly worries for the safety of the workers.
"They have the buckets of quarters that have been taken. They have the cash, which has also been taken," Perryman said.
The laundromat is open 24 hours, and often each shift has just one employee.
"If that keeps happening, they need more security," one person said.
"I just think it's sad. This is a place they come to all the time. Stop doing it. Just stop," said another.
Police are still searching for the suspect and need help identifying him. He ended up dropping most of the stolen merchandise, but made off with the hammer he used.
Anyone with information about his attacker is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.