Bike Return Gone Bad Spurs Attack Against Park Slope Worker: NYPD

BROOKLYN, NY — A man aggrieved over a failed bike return attacked a Flatbush Avenue bike store worker and stole his cellphone last month, police told Patch this week.

The 24-year-old employee was working at Monroe Ride Electric Bike, a bike shop on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Sterling Place, about 11:30 a.m. July 26 when a customer approached him in the shop to try and return a bike, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

"The victim and the perpetrator had a sale of this bike," the spokesperson told Patch. "The perpetrator came back to the victim … and said he wanted his money back. For whatever reason he didn’t want the bike."

When the worker didn't process the return, though, the indignant customer turned to violence, shoving the employee to the ground and stealing his cellphone before zooming off on a bike, police said.

The victim said he didn't need medical help after the attack, according to the NYPD.

Police released surveillance photos of the attacker Wednesday. The NYPD said it is still looking for him as of this week — nearly a month after the attack.