NYPD searching for men who used pepper spray to rob clothing store in Washington Heights
WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police are searching for two men who used pepper spray to rob a clothing store in Manhattan.
It happened Feb. 19 at the Snipes sports apparel and sneaker store on West 181st Street just before 6 p.m.
Officials say the suspects walked inside and sprayed the chemical substance on the floor, which irritated employees' eyes and caused them to cough.
That is when police say the thieves took the merchandise off a display table before running away.
Manager Ranyeli Richardson was inside the store at the time and said she couldn't even breathe.
One of the suspects flashed a gun to another employee to stop her from stopping him.
"He was like, oh, you don't want this, you don't want to lose your life," Richardson said. "So, you know, obviously nobody wants to lose their life over a job."
Authorities hope newly released surveillance video on Tuesday will help identify the suspects and lead to an arrest.
"Working in a retail, I've been through a lot, so this was nothing new to me, honestly, worse had happened to me before, so I was just worried about the staff because, you know, it was the first experience for them and I was just worried about them and their well-being," Richardson said.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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