'Don't go and steal': Video shows Bronx Foodtown worker attacked by shoplifters as he tries to stop them
THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: A new video from the Bronx has surfaced where a Foodtown worker was brutally attacked by shoplifters. The disturbing footage shows the employee trying his level best to stop them from committing the crime. The incident was reported to have taken place at around 1 pm on Tuesday, March 7, inside the supermarket on Allerton Avenue near Paulding Avenue in Allerton. “A ‘verbal dispute with a customer’ who was stealing — only the latest in an avalanche of retail thefts in the Big Apple," said police.
Louis Porcelli, a store manager, told News 12 that shoplifting has ballooned in the recent past and is a growing problem at stores over the past year or so. He also shared that the current issue is eminent in other parts of the city too. He also appealed to the authorities to step up and increase policing in the region. Porcelli claimed that he never witnessed violence of such level before, adding “Not to this extent. I mean, we had caught people, we ran after them, we got the merchandise, but you know, not this brutal attack.”
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CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Surveillance video inside a Bronx Foodtown shows two people attacking an employee. The store owner says the employee confronted two alleged shoplifters before they began to punch him repeatedly. https://t.co/i2VFIt3Y3L pic.twitter.com/PsGdF9tFkC
— News12BK (@News12BK) March 9, 2023
'The employee confronted two alleged shoplifters'
“I hope people think twice before they do [something like this]. If you’re hungry, ask for it, and maybe we’ll give you a steak or whatever. But don’t go and steal,” he said. News12 also tweeted the incident with a video and captioned, “Surveillance video inside a Bronx Foodtown shows two people attacking an employee. The store owner says the employee confronted two alleged shoplifters before they began to punch him repeatedly.”
Shoplifting incidents rose to 63,000 since last year
The CCTV footage shows a man knocked out on the ground and hit by one of the shoplifters near the exit sign of the supermarket. As per authorities, the 31-year-old employee had bruises on his face and forehead. It is alleged that the number of the shoplifting incidents have increased to 63,000 since last year, reported New York Post.
In another incident, Lisbel Rodriguez Luna, 25, was attacked viciously by a shoplifter. Luna, who almost lost her life in the attack, said, “No one ever attacked me like that.” The terrified employee added, “I have to come back. I have to work. I need money. I need my job. I don’t know what else I can do.”