New York Police have arrested a 25-year-old Staten Island man in connection with the stabbing death of a Manhattan grocer last October, all for 50 cents.
The defendant was identified as Christian Diaz, a resident of Brighton Street in Tottenville. He was arrested in connection with the bloodshed that occurred on Oct. 19 around 11:35 p.m. at the K&B Gourmet Deli on Second Ave, at 1980 Second Ave. near 102nd Street in East Harlem, according to a statement from the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information of the New York Police Department.
Police identified the victim as Ahmed Almulaiki, 34, who lived a few steps from where he was killed.
Diaz was arrested without incident inside his home Tuesday around 1 pm by members of the Regional Fugitive Task Force along with members of the Manhattan Warrant Squad. He was then transported to the 23rd Precinct in Manhattan for processing, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
Police said Diaz, who has no arrest record but was known to area merchants as a troublesome customer, was angry that he couldn’t get a 50-cent line of credit to buy cigarettes.
That Tuesday night seven months ago, Diaz threatened to shoot deli workers after they denied him credit, according to the police report. He then walked out of the store and banged on the windows, prompting Almoliki and his cousin, Zakaria Hussein, to confront the suspect on the sidewalk.
Surveillance video of the encounter shows Almoliki brandishing a golf club as he chased Diaz down the street. After missing a hit, the defendant, who was wearing a dark-colored hoodie, appears to stab Almoliki at least twice in the left side before fleeing.
Almulaiki was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, where he was pronounced dead. Diaz then fled the scene and headed east on East 102nd Street, police said.
Diaz has been charged by police with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
Police said Diaz was initially identified by an anonymous tipster who now appears to be in line to collect the reward money if the suspect is successfully prosecuted, the newspaper reported. Daily News.
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