The suspects are targeting expensive headphones, Beats by Dr. Dre, which are said to block out outside sound so well that they make whoever wears them a much easier target.
It was a lesson that one man learned while waiting for the No. 4 train Friday afternoon just before 3 p.m. The man was attacked on the platform at East Burnside Avenue and Jerome Avenue, with the suspect approaching the victim and grabbing the headphones from his bag.
While attempting to retrieve his headphones, the victim was subsequently assaulted by the suspect, who used a sharp object to slash him around the face and neck.
The suspect fled onto the northbound No. 4 train in the lead car. The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was treated at St. Barnabus Hospital and released.
The suspect, seen above, is described as male, Hispanic, approximately 25-years-old, 5-foot-9 and 210 to 240 pounds. He was last seen wearing a navy blue polo shirt, blue denim jeans and blue Nike sneakers with white lacing.
The headphones, which sell for between $300 and $500, have been a growing target among thieves since they hit store shelves around Christmas. There have been 172 complaints of stolen Dr. Dre Beats headphones from Jan 1, 2012 through May 6, 2012, compared to last year when there were only 25 complaints during the same time frame. Upper Manhattan and northern Brooklyn have reportedly seen the largest spike in robberies.
Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
---
