June 14, 2021 By Allie Griffin
An argument outside an Astoria deli turned violent last month when one of the men involved in the dispute pulled out a knife.
The NYPD released video footage Sunday of the altercation between two men outside a deli located at 38-02 31st St. in an attempt to nab the knife-wielding suspect.
The perpetrator was standing outside the deli on Wednesday, May 19 when a 60-year-old man walked up at around 4 a.m. The two began arguing as to whether the deli was open, police said.
The suspect then pulled out a knife and began slashing the 60-year-old, who grabbed a stick to try to defend himself. The perpetrator then slashed the victim in the head and arm and forcibly removed the victim’s slippers right off his feet, police said.
The suspect — described as being approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and having a slim build— fled the location. He was last seen wearing dark-colored jeans and a light-colored T-shirt and spoke with a West Indian accent, according to police.
The victim sustained slash wounds to his right wrist and face, which were not life-threatening. EMS rushed the victim to Mount Sinai Hospital-Queens.
Anyone with information in regard to 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). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or on Twitter @NYPDTips.