VIDEO: Serial shoplifter punches cop, breaks bone in her face

NEW YORK - A brazen, serial shoplifter punched a uniformed NYPD officer in the face, breaking a bone when she attempted to stop him from stealing from a Manhattan store, according to authorities.

The officer, whose name has not been released, was inside a Duane Reade on east 34th Street in Murray Hill when she was notified by a member of staff that the suspect, a known shoplifter at the store, was once again stealing at the location.

The officer then confronted the suspect as he attempted to leave the store. 

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In surveillance footage released by the NYPD, the pair can be seen struggling as the officer tries to prevent the suspect from escaping. After a brief struggle, the suspect, dressed in all-black, punches the officer in the face, knocking her to the ground. 

The officer suffered a fractured bone in her face and a laceration to her left ear. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition. 

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It is unknown if the suspect managed to get away with any items.

The suspect is described as a man with a dark complexion; last seen wearing a dark-colored hooded jacket, dark-colored pants, and dark-colored shoes.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident 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 https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on Twitter @NYPDTips. 

Police say all calls are strictly confidential.