NYPD hunt man and woman accused of smashing Bronx bodega customer with hammer before shooting at him

Police in New York City are on the hunt for a man and woman who brazenly attacked a man with a hammer in a Bronx bodega and shot at him with a handgun. 

The frightening altercation in the borough’s Van Nest neighborhood was captured in full on a store security camera, and has since inspired a citywide search for the still-at-large suspects – who police say were a couple.  

Security footage shows the male and female suspects enter the establishment on Morris Park Avenue and begin arguing with the unidentified victim, who police say was a 50-year-old man.

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A female suspect can be seen bludgeoning the 50-year-old victim with a hammer during the frightening altercation, which occurred in the borough’s Van Nest neighborhood on Dec. 26

Cops contend that the quarrel occurred after the male suspect accused the victim of looking at his female companion.

The disagreement eventually escalated and quickly turned physical, as the footage released by the New York Police Department Wednesday shows. 

In the video, the male suspect, who walked with a single crutch, can first be seen pushing the victim, as the older man clutches the suspect’s sweatshirt.

The footage then shows the female suspect intervening in the burgeoning scuffle by brazenly striking the victim in the head with a hammer, while her male counterpart suddenly brandishes a pistol.

The footage shows the female suspect intervening in a burgeoning scuffle between her male companion and the victim, by brazenly striking the 50-year-old man in the head with a hammer

The male suspect then proceeds to point the firearm at the victim, menacing him, but does not let a shot off as he and the woman continue to grapple one another, the footage shows. He eventually holstered the weapon

The male suspect proceeds to point the firearm at the victim, menacing him, but does not let a shot off as he and the woman continue to grapple one another, the footage shows.

The scuffle eventually spilled to outside of the store, security footage taken outside the store shows, where at which point the male suspect – who had holstered the weapon after threatening the victim inside the deli – again pulls the pistol, this time firing it once toward the victim, into the side of the store. 

The victim, who narrowly missed being stuck by the wayward shot, can then be seen running back into the store.

The victim received stitches at a nearby hospital, presumably from the barrage of hammer blows, police said Wednesday upon announcing their search for the pair on social media, adding that the suspects are still at large. 

The scuffle then spilled to outside of the store, security footage taken outside the store shows

Outside the store, the male suspect again pulled his pistol on the victim as he struggled with his female assailant. This time however, the suspect fired off a round at the victim, narrowly missing him

The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents across New York that is exasperating police and residents. 

Violent crimes are already up across the board in The City That Never Sleeps this year, with murders up by 33 percent when compared to the same period last year. 

Overall crimes, meanwhile, are up by a similar 30 percent.

The rate of robberies, rapes, and assaults have also increased. 

The reasoning behind the increase can be attributed to a combination of lax bail reforms and lack of police. 

The new Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, has vowed to take an even softer touch on criminals. 

His office said they will not seek prison or jail time for suspects or offenders unless there is no other option.  

The suspects are still at-large after fleeing the scene of the attack, police say. Cops released footage of the attack Wednesday in an effort to aid their search. The victim only sustained minor injuries in the assault, police stated Wednesday

He will also downgrade some felonies, like armed robbery to petit larceny. 

The announcement came in a memo from his office last week and spooked police unions, who said he was emboldening criminals.

He defended it afterwards, saying he would not prosecute people for being homeless or addicted to drugs. 

On Wednesday, when asked by a DailyMail.com to comment on a recent judgment that saw career criminal William Rolon, 43 – who boasts a 30-year rap sheet – get off with a misdemeanor for threatening a Duane Reade worker and stealing more than $2,000 worth of goods from the Manhattan store, Bragg refused to comment.

When approached, the Manhattan DA refused to discuss the slight ruling – a result of the prosecutor’s lenient policies – saying it was ‘an open matter.’  

Since 2020, crime in New York has soared thanks to a combination of laxed bail reforms and lack of police

New York City is currently experiencing soaring crime rates and an increase in shooting incidents not seen since the mid-2000s