The owner of a tailor shop in Manhattan was stabbed by a robber Monday afternoon, police say.
The 78-year-old owner of Apel's Alteration on East 27th Street was stabbed just after 12:30 p.m. after clashing with his attacker inside the shop, police said.
Police say the robber stabbed the tailor repeatedly in the chest and demanded money. The shop owner initially resisted but eventually relented and gave the attacker $80 in cash from his own pocket.
The assailant stabbed the shop owner a few more times before he ran out of the store, police said.
"He had a gash on his face and he was holding himself so I was pretty sure he had a gash down there," said Matthew Moreno, who works next door.
The victim was taken to the hospital with stab wounds to the chest, cuts to the face, a fractured skull and a punctured left lung, police said. He was in critical but stable conditon.
Blood could be seen on the floor inside the shop as police swarmed the scene, looking for clues and gathering evidence.
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Regulars at the victim's store described him as a nice older man who worked alone.
"He works by himself, he likes to work by himself," said Boris Rafailob, who also works next door. "He's a nice gentleman. It's very unfortunate."
The suspect is described as being about 40 to 50 years old, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 11, weighing 160 to 190 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at nypdcrimestoppers.com.
