Police beat

Robbery leaves deli man bruised

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It was an early morning bodega shakedown just south of the city line. It’s an area that, despite its remoteness, isn’t immune to violence, or even high-stakes heroin operations.

A 51-year-old told cops he believed a man walked into his store at 6655 Broadway on the uppermost fringes of North Riverdale a little after 2 a.m., Dec. 28. Once inside, however, instead of picking up a six-pack or a bag of chips, the would-be customer taunted the fellow with a string of lewd profanities, daring him to step outside.

The guy took the bait, police said, leaving his store. The moment he did, his tormentor and two other men attacked him, bruising the left side of his face and ripping his shirt. They also reportedly dug $1,200 out of his pocket, and snatched a chain straight off his neck. Afterward, they ran west on Huxley Avenue.

Police searched the area, but the man’s attackers — one of whom they described as around 6 feet tall, wearing a jacket or sweater, jeans and a mask, all black — probably ran fast or hid well, because cops couldn’t find them. Footage from security cameras, however, could help.

The deli guy, meanwhile probably wasn’t terribly injured, police said, since he refused medical attention.

Along with cash, the roughneck trio reportedly made off with what police described as more than $3,000 worth of bling — a yellow gold necklace, a piece of jewelry representing an Egyptian cartouche, and a three-inch yellow gold cross.

Police are investigating the robbery.

 

Bloody burglars broke windows, took nil

A botched burglary appears to have become a bloody mess instead.

A 49-year-old told cops it’d been around eight months since he visited a home he keeps on the 4900 block of Independence Avenue in Riverdale, just east of Wave Hill, although a cleaning crew stops by every Thursday to tidy things up.

They showed up to a gory scene of broken windows and a bloodstained house around 9:25 p.m., Dec. 13, police said, although the owner didn’t report it until the following Wednesday morning. A check of security camera footage, however, revealed a couple guys trying to slip inside.

While they indeed managed to get in — apparently suffering a few cuts and scrapes in the process — they appear to have left empty-handed, police said, since the man claims none of his property was missing.

Even so, police are investigating the burglary.

Huxley Avenue, Independence Avenue, Wave Hill, Zak Kostro