UWS Smoke Shop Robbed By Duo, Employee Punched In Head: NYPD

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — An Upper West Side smoke shop was robbed and an employee was attacked, police said Wednesday, along with the release of new photos.

Two men walked into the 85 Convenient Store about 1 p.m. April 24 off the corner of 85th Street and Amsterdam, police said.

One of the men approached the counter and started talking to a 24-year-old employee, while the other man stood at the doorway and acted as a lookout, police said.

The man in the store began reaching over the counter multiple times to remove unspecified merchandise, police said. After he snatched items for the final time, he punched the employee in the head before fleeing the smoke shop, police said.

The items taken were worth roughly $175, police said.

The duo fled west on West 85th Street, police said.

The two suspects are described by police as between 5 feet, 9 inches to 6-feet tall, and roughly 18 years old.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).