Cash, Phone, Metro Cards Heist

In a ruse all too familiar to police on the Upper East Side, a man strolled into a First Avenue convenience store on March 11 and pretended to be looking at some snacks to buy. It turned out that the man had other goodies in mind that day. According to police, a 25-year-old black male pulled a black handgun and threatened to "shoot" if the store's clerk didn't fill a white, plastic bag with cash, phone cards and Metro cards. The perp also helped himself to cash from the register as well, according to the clerk. There were no reported injuries but the man got away with $4,900 cash, $1,243 in phone cards and $1,000 worth of Metro cards. The perp, who fled on foot, was described as having a closely-shaved beard and wearing green slacks and a red headband.