A drug dealer allegedly threw a garbage bag full of pot off a New York City roof to keep it out of the hands of armed robbers, only to have pedestrians below snatch it and run.
NYPD video on Tuesday and obtained by the New York Daily News shows the bag landing on the sidewalk, just before three people scoop up the pot and flee.
The alleged dealer, Lisheng Xie, 29, set up a meeting with two men on the rooftop of a three-story building, according to police. He planned to sell the 19 pounds of weed for $20,000, but the buyers pulled a gun, then punched and kicked him in a tussle to grab the bag, say police.
That’s when Xie hurled it from the rooftop, raining weed on the sidewalk below.
The robbers fled after that, but one of them, Ricardo Diaz, 31, fell down a flight of stairs, hurting his knee, according to the cops, who arrested him at the scene. Diaz faces robbery, attempted robbery, assault, weapon possession and other charges, and was released without bail.
Cops are still looking for Diaz’s accomplice, who escaped in a black BMW sedan, authorities said.
Xie was taken by medics to a nearby hospital since he suffered cuts and bruises to his face and body. He was also arrested on drug possession charges after police found ketamine in his possession, cops said. He too, was released and held without bail.