Crook Runs From Dunkin' After Failed Armed Robbery Attempt: NYPD

JAMAICA, QUEENS -- The NYPD is searching for a man who ran from a Dunkin' Donuts in Jamaica empty-handed after a failed attempt to rob the popular coffee-and-donut chain at knifepoint, police say.

Police said the man came into a Dunkin' Donuts at 179-15 Hillside Ave. posed as a customer on Nov. 5 at around 8:30 p.m. and ordered donuts. The NYPD released video surveillance showing the man handing an employee cash for the purchase, pulling a knife out from inside his sleeve and leaping onto the counter toward the cash register drawer when the employee opened it to put the money inside.

The man attempted to grab cash from the register drawer, but the employee slammed it shut before he was able to take any, police said. Surveillance video showed him grabbing items off the counter before fleeing the coffee shop in an unknown direction.

Police described the suspect as a man with a beard standing at about 5'10". He was last seen wearing a black and gray hooded sweater, a dark colored baseball cap, black pants and black sneakers.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Lead photo via NYPD.