Cops Search For Gun-Wielding Mugger Near Washington Square Park

GREENWICH VILLAGE, MANHATTAN — Cops are searching for a man who robbed two people at knife and gunpoint near Washington Square Park last week.

The man pulled a knife and a silver gun on two different people who were walking near the park on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, cops said.

In one mugging, the man asked a 24-year-old who was walking to work on East Eighth Street if he could borrow his phone around 10:45 a.m. The mugger then took out the knife and gun when the man refused. He ran away with the man's bag, which had a laptop, wallet and cell phone inside, police said.

The next day, the same man came up to a 26-year-old man who was walking on Washington Square West around 8:15 p.m., police said.

He took out the knife and gun and forced the 26-year-old to make withdrawals from multiple ATMs near Washington Square Park and Union Square before running away with $440, bank cards and the man's cell phone, police said.

Police caught the mugger on video at the Union Square subway station shortly after the second mugging.

Anyone with information in regard to the identity of this male 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, on Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential.