What to Know
- A customer was caught on video attacking spa workers and threatening them with a hammer after they wouldn't give him a refund
- The man punched one of the women and threw another woman against a wall, police said
- He also smashed a piggy bank inside the business with the hammer and stole a handful of cash
A disgruntled customer attacked two spa workers, threatened several employees with a hammer and stole cash from a piggy bank in a violent incident that was caught on surveillance tape, police said.
The man was inside a room at Tao Spa Bodywork at 135-20 40th Road in Flushing around 10:35 p.m. on Thursday when he demanded a refund from a 55-year-old employee, the NYPD said.
When the woman told him she wouldn’t give him one, the man whipped out a hammer and demanded money, police said. The man then dragged the woman into the waiting area, where he punched her in the face, police said.
The woman fled to the back of the spa and returned with three female coworkers, the NYPD said. When they confronted the man, he grabbed one of the women by the throat, shoved her against the wall and threatened the other two women with the hammer, police said.
One of the employees gave the man $40 to convince him to leave, at which point he smashed a piggy bank on the counter with a hammer and grabbed a handful of cash before fleeing the scene.
The employees injured in the attack were treated at the scene, the NYPD said.
Local
Police are now searching for the approximately 20- to 30-year-old man, who weighs around 160 pounds and was last seen carrying a light backpack and wearing a gray hooded coat, dark jeans and tan work boots.
Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.
