Police are searching for a man who allegedly stole cellphones and a wallet from two men after a dispute over a car accident in East Elmhurst.
On Saturday, May 8, at about 7 p.m. in front of 32-53 70 St., a 23-year-old man driving a white Nissan Sentra with a 55-year-old man passenger were exiting a parking lot when they collided with an unidentified man driving a grey Honda Accord with a woman passenger, according to police.
The two men in the Nissan Sentra and the unidentified man driving the Honda Accord, exited their cars and then the unidentified man began to demand payment for the damage to his car, according to authorities. Sources say both cars had minor damage.
The dispute then escalated when the unidentified man began to punch both the 23-year-old and 55-year-old men, according to police. In a surveillance video released by police, the unidentified man was seen knocking out the 55-year-old man and punching the 23-year-old man in the face while the woman with him was seen trying to move him away.
There were also several bystanders seen in the video.
The unidentified man then removed the 23-year-old man’s Samsung cellphone and 55-year-old’s Samsung cellphone and wallet, which contained ID and bank cards, according to police.
The victims refused medical attention, according to police.
The unidentified man and woman then left the scene in the grey Honda Accord.
Anyone with information in regard to the identity of the suspects is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on Twitter @NYPDTips.
