West Village ATM Stop Turns Into Alarming Close Call For Young Mother-To-Be
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A stop at an ATM in the West Village turned into a frightening experience for a pregnant woman.
The NYPD released a photo of the suspect who police said made a vile threat against the woman. As CBS2's Steve Langford reported, the wanted man is no stranger in the neighborhood.
The wary glance-behind people usually cast as they approach an ATM was not enough for a young mother-to-be on Monday morning, at about 10. She was held up by a man with a weapon who followed the visibly pregnant woman right into a cash machine on Sixth Ave near 8th Street.
The woman reported that the man pulled out a sharp object and threatened her saying, "I'll cut you and your baby if you don't give me some money."
The 35-year-old woman withdrew $400 and handed it over to 49-year-old Melvin Johnson, police believe. The suspect fled leaving the woman physically unharmed.
Those who use the convenient ATM regularly were horrified by such a monstrous threat against a pregnant woman.
"It's really awful cause I come in here all the time and I'm a mom of two, so it's actually really terrifying," Diana Rosa said.
There was no shortage of surveillance shots of the suspect who locals believe they often see hanging out in the area.
"I see many times the guy sometimes standing over there sometimes on this other corner,' newsstand operator Mohammed Alam said.
Police described Johnson as approximately 6'2" and 300 pounds with brown eyes.
"Dumb criminals like that eventually they get caught and when they do get caught they get what's coming to them," Louis Torres said.
The victim did not want to appear on camera, but told CBS2 that she is doing fine.
"It's crazy this is the world we live in right now. You can't trust nobody, I mean nobody," Richard Rodrigues said.
It was an alarming close call for a young mother-to-be and her unborn child.