Thieves Hit UES Liquor Store Worker With Bottle, Police Say

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Three brazen thieves grabbed liquor bottles from the shelves of an Upper East Side store and used the stolen goods to hit a worker over the head, an NYPD spokeswoman told Patch.

The three men entered Wine Emporium on Second Avenue between East 81st and 80th streets around 7 p.m. and started to grab bottles, police said. When a 42-year-old employee confronted the men, they threatened to shoot him but no gun was ever shown, said police.

When robbers attempted to flee the store with bottles in hand the employee chased after them but was hit over the head with a liquor bottle, police said. The man was treated for head injuries at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.

Robbers fled the store with $224 worth of alcohol, police said. Police described the suspects as men in their late teens and early 20s, but did not provide any photos.