July 14, 2020 By Michael Dorgan
Police are searching for a man who stole an electric bicycle from an e-bike store in Astoria earlier this month and punched an employee who tried to stop him.
Police said the suspect entered Fly E-Bike, located at 33-06 28 Ave., on July 1 at around 12:30 p.m. before getting on an e-bike and riding it out of the store.
The worker, a 30-year-old man, chased after the suspect and managed to catch up with him. The pair engaged in a brief scuffle before the suspect punched the employee in the face, according to police.
The suspect then fled on the e-bike in a southbound direction along 33rd Street, police said.
Police describe the thief as being between 16 and 20 years of age. He was last seen wearing a mask over his face, a black hooded sweater, black and gray sweatpants and white sneakers. He was also wearing a black backpack.
Video footage and a photo of the suspect have been released.