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

Shoplifter punches NYPD officer

The NYPD is on the hunt for a shoplifter who punched a NYPD officer, breaking a 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.

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.

Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app! | Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters

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.