Detectives are still looking for the thief who slashed two Long Island City roommates after they found him robbing their apartment earlier this week.
Law enforcement sources said the trouble began at 4:57 a.m. on June 3, when a 39-year-old man arrived at his apartment in the vicinity of 44th Avenue and 23rd Street and found that the front door had been forced open and left ajar.
According to police, he walked inside the apartment and then spotted the suspect rummaging through a closet inside his room. The 39-year-old man then left the room to seek assistance from his roommate, a 43-year-old man; when they returned to the room, authorities said, they found it locked.
Cops said the roommates then exited the apartment and called 911. As they waited for police to arrive, the crook tried to exit their home, and the roommates then attempted to restrain him.
Authorities reported that the suspect then produced a knife and slashed the 39-year-old on one of his arms, then fled to the street. The roommates nonetheless continued to pursue the suspect and tried to hold him for police.
After the victims caught up to him, law enforcement sources said, the bandit slashed the 43-year-old man in the face and neck, then continued running southbound along 23rd Street.
Officers from the 108th Precinct responded to the incident. Paramedics brought the 43-year-old man to Weill Cornell Medical Center in stable condition, while the 39-year-old man was treated at the scene.
On June 6, the NYPD released video footage of the suspect. He’s described as a white man in his 30s who was last seen wearing a dark-colored baseball cap, a gray shirt, shorts and black sneakers.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA), visit the Crime Stoppers website or send a text message to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
