Cops Seek Suspect In Subway Robbery & Assault

The NYPD is after a man they say nabbed a straphanger’s phone and then punched her in the face after she tried to chase him down.

Cops say that on Monday, April 20 at about 4pm, a 20-year-old woman was sitting on a northbound 5 train, and when the doors opened at the Flatbush Avenue/Brooklyn College stop, the suspect grabbed the cell phone from her hand and ran from the train. The victim chased the man and grabbed his bag, which ripped, causing the suspect to drop the phone, which a passerby picked up and returned to the victim.

According to police, the suspect then picked up the spilled contents of his torn bag, walked over to the woman whose phone he’d just tried to steal, and punched her in the face, saying, “That’s for chasing me.” The suspect then fled the station.

Police describe the suspect as a black man between the ages of 18-21, 5’11” tall and about 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a green jacket, blue jeans, black sneakers, a black White Sox baseball hat, and carrying a light gray backpack.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577.