Deli Owner Arrested For Waving Gun At Teens, Claims They Were Shoplifting

An 86th Street deli owner was arrested Saturday for allegedly pointing his gun at a group of teens he claims were trying to shoplift.

[Redacted] Hanna, 56, has been charged with criminal possession of a weapon, child endangerment, and menacing for allegedly turning his barrel on a 15-year-old boy at approximately 8:33pm inside Hanna Deli, located at 2570 86th Street, according to the NYPD. The gun is licensed to Hanna, but he is not authorized to carry it on Saturdays, say cops.

The shopkeeper’s 24-year-old son, who asked not to be named, tells a different story, describing a group of bullies who have been ransacking the store for years, and had threatened his father on the evening of May 7.

“They said ‘I’m going to call my dad and tell him to kill you, you immigrant!'” said the younger Hanna. “When I came to the store, my father’s face was red. He was afraid.”

Surveillance video of the incident shared with Bensonhurst Bean appears to show small groups of male and female teens crowding around the deli counter, trying to climb through the window, and running down the street (we’ve decided not to publish the footage since the kids are minors).

The Hannas, who are Egyptian immigrants, have four grown kids, ages 16 – 24. Since they purchased the store in 2012, they say they have been robbed numerous times, but police have been unable to track down the culprits.

The son recalled a similar incident on Halloween 2014, when he says teens threw tires at his father and mooned his mother, 50, who was working at the register. His father shooed the kids from the store, but his wife was shaken, according to the son.

“My mom was crying and calling the police, but they didn’t respond,” he said.