Man Pulls Gun On Verizon Store Employee In The West Village: Police

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A Verizon Store employee was almost robbed at gunpoint this week in the West Village, police said.

A man walked into the business at 462 Avenue of the Americas around 7:15 p.m. on Monday, approached a 22-year-old employee, and asked her about buying something from the store, police said.

When the employee told the person that they did not accept Apple Pay, the bandit took out a gun, and demanded her phone, police said.

The employee did not give in, though, and the attempted robber ran out of the West Village store without taking anything, police said.

Nobody was hurt in the incident.

NYPD describe the attempted robber as around 5 foot, 10 inches, 180 pounds, with brown eyes.

The robbery attempts came as the West Village's 6th Precinct receives added attention for an 80 percent rise in crime since the beginning of the year — the largest of any precinct in New York City.

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