Dec. 11, 2024 By Bill Parry
Police from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst are looking for an armed robber who beat and slashed a 37-year-old man on a residential street in Corona late last month and remains at large.
The victim was near the intersection of Alstyne Avenue and 102nd Street just after midnight on Friday, Nov. 29, when a stranger approached him and demanded his money, police said on Tuesday.
The encounter rapidly escalated into violence when the perpetrator allegedly punched the victim in the face, and a brawl ensued. The mugger drew a knife and slashed his target across his left hand, then forcibly removed his wallet, which contained approximately $220 in cash, police said, before running off, traveling southbound on 102nd Street toward Radcliff Avenue.
The wounded man sustained minor injuries, including a laceration to his left hand, but refused medical attention at the scene.
The NYPD released surveillance images of the suspect on Tuesday and described him as having a light complexion with a medium build. He wore a dark blue New York Yankees Baseball cap, a navy blue jacket, black pants, and white sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding this robbery investigation 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 Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
Through Dec. 8, the 110th Precinct has reported 510 robberies so far in 2024, 79 more than the 431 reported at the same point last year, an increase of 18.3%, according to the most recent CompStat report. Felony assaults are also on the rise in the precinct, with 752 reported so far this year, 55 more than the 697 reported at the same point in 2023, an increase of 7.9%, according to CompStat.