Robber nearly left behind after punching victim, helping steal $13,000 in Brooklyn: Police

BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- (WPIX) -- Three men who made off with $13,000 in cash are being sought in a robbery in which the victim was punched and one of the assailants was caught-on-camera almost being left behind, police said Tuesday.

The victim, a 56-year-old man, parked a vehicle on Flatbush Avenue near East 32nd Street, bordering Flatlands and East Flatbush, Monday, June 11 around 10:15 a.m. when the incident occurred, police said.

The vehicle was rear-ended by a van, and a man confronted the victim, punching him in the face and knocking him to the ground, according to police.

A second man then opened the victim's parked vehicle and removed a paper bag containing $13,000 as well as a handbag containing a laptop, police said.

That man got inside the van, where a driver remained during the robbery.

Surveillance video shows the van speeding off and turning onto a sidewalk, leaving behind the man who punched the victim.

The man chased down the van, and, according to police, later met up with the other two robbers and fled with them northbound on New York Avenue.