Off-duty NYPD detective punched while trying to stop unhinged man throwing food at Starbucks: cops, sources

Off-Duty NYPD Detective Assaulted While Trying to Stop Unhinged Man at Starbucks

An off-duty NYPD detective was punched in the head as she tried to stop an unhinged man from throwing food around a Midtown Starbucks Friday morning, according to authorities and sources. The 39-year-old female detective witnessed the man hurling food items around the coffee chain’s Sixth Avenue and West 57th Street location around 7:45 a.m. and attempted to intervene.

Despite her efforts, the assailant punched her in the head, causing a minor cut for which she received treatment at the scene, the police said.

Law enforcement confirmed that a person of interest was apprehended following the incident, but charges had not yet been filed by the early evening.

This attack follows a recent incident where a man bit a Bronx Family Dollar worker who tried to prevent a shoplifting incident, ultimately leading to a violent altercation where another employee was slashed during a robbery on Monday, as reported by the police.

In a separate incident in June, a suspect who attempted to steal a can of soda stabbed a security guard who confronted him at a Duane Reade store on Third Avenue near East 52nd Street, according to authorities at that time.