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Video: LI Deli Clerk Fights Off Robber With Machete
By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 7, 2013
Modified Oct 7, 2013
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By
Jen Chung
Published Oct 7, 2013
Modified Oct 7, 2013
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A Long Island deli worker managed to fight off an armed robber last month—thanks to the machete his boss bought.
A surveillance video shows the September 25 incident at the Stop & Shop Deli in Brentwood: A deli worker is at the counter when a man bursts through the door, aiming a gun at him. Then the clerk takes a machete from under the counter, unsheathes it and starts waving it around. The robber fled.
The Suffolk County police are offering a reward for information leading to an arrest. The suspect is described as a young man with a thin build, about 5'1". He was wearing a gray mask, a black running-style top with white stripes on the sleeves, dark pants and black and white sneakers, plus carrying a black Air Jordan backpack and a .22 pistol. Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.
The deli's owner Elena Alvarado told NBC New York that they've only had the machete for a month: "She said she wished her worker, who has been employed there part-time for four years, would not have gone after the robber, saying it was a risky move. 'You can make money again, but not your life,' she said."
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deli
long island
machete
robbery
suffolk county
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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