Video: 11 Youths Wanted In Bed-Stuy Deli Robbery, Police Say

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — A group of youths, many with smiles on their faces, ran off from a Bed-Stuy deli after they ransacked shelves and one smashed a cash register in an employee's face, authorities said and video shows.

Eleven youths are wanted in connection to the robbery on March 16 — the first day all New York City schools shut down to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The incident unfolded at 5:10 p.m. when video showed a group of about 11 youths walk into 1017 Deli on Bedford Avenue.

The youths, all described by police as between 15 and 16 years old, ransacked shelves, tried to leave without paying and drew attention from store employees, authorities said.

One employee, a 55-year-old man, blocked the door while another man, 48, bore the brunt of an attack, police said. A youth smashed a cash register in the man's face, according to a NYPD release.

The injured employee went to Brooklyn Hospital with a cut on his forehead, police said.

A video released by police shows the youths laughing as they run around and away from the deli.

Mayor Bill de Blasio resisted calls to close schools as the coronavirus spread, in part over concerns about leaving children and teenagers unsupervised. He finally relented, but still harbored worries.

"I am tremendously concerned about what's going to happen with young people out in our communities without enough positive options, particularly teenagers," de Blasio said on March 15, a day before the deli robbery.

People with information about the robbery are asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).