A beggar bashed a 60-year-old East Village man in the head with a pipe that he was carrying around in his backpack, police said Saturday.
The suspect entered the Mee Noodle Shop & Grill on First Ave. near E. 13th St. at about 2:30 p.m. Friday and began asking people for money.
When one older man wouldn’t give him any, he reached into the backpack slung over his shoulder, pulled out a small pipe and bashed the man over the head with it, cops said.
The beggar then ran out of the restaurant, heading north along First Ave., cops said.
The 60-year-old victim suffered a deep cut to his head, cops said. EMS rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, where he was treated and released.
It was not immediately clear if the victim worked in the store or was a customer.
Last month, on Sept. 22, a man in an “X-Men” T-shirt carrying a backpack struck a 68-year-old woman in the back with a metal object on E. 14th St. near First Ave. — just around the corner from the noodle shop.
The suspect ran off and was still being sought by police. The woman he attacked refused medical attention at the scene.
It was not immediately clear if the two attacks were related. Cops were scouring the area for surveillance footage that could help them identify the assailant in Friday’s attack.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
