Thief Punches Worker For 11 Bars Of Soap In Queens Rite Aid: NYPD

SOUTH RICHMOND HILL, QUEENS -- A Queens Rite Aid employee ended his shift with a black eye after he tried to stop a determined shoplifter from leaving the drug store with nearly a dozen bars of soap, police said.

The 26-year-old worker at the Rite Aid in South Richmond Hill on Liberty Avenue was punched in the face at about 5:30 p.m. on June 30 by the soap thief, who also threatened to stab him, cops said.

The employee noticed the suspect load 11 bars of soap into a backpack and called him out when he attempted to leave the store without paying for them, authorities said.

Rather than hand over the bars, the thief threatened the worker and clocked him before bolting down 122 Street with the suds in hand, police said.

Medics treated the employee for pain and bruising to his face.

Police described the suspect as a man in his 30s with glasses standing at about 6-foot-2 and weighing roughly 210 pounds. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, dark shorts and blue 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 and Google Maps