Police

Cops: Man beaten, robbed of $3,700 while trying to buy marijuana

Riverhead Police

A Riverhead man told police he was assaulted and robbed of nearly $4,000 in cash by people he was trying to buy marijuana from early this morning, Riverhead police said.

But according to police, he doesn’t know who the people were.

Police said the 35-year-old victim called 911 from Peconic Bay Medical Center around 1:45 a.m., where he was receiving treatment from injuries sustained in the assault.

According to Det. Patrick Waski, who is handling the case, “he received some pretty heavy facial injuries.”

The man told officers he was attempting to purchase marijuana from two men who had picked him up at his home on East Avenue Extension, off of Elton Street. According to the victim, he got into a gray or silver sedan with two black men and was driven away a short distance before being assaulted and robbed of $3,700 cash.

According to Det. Waski, while the victim openly admitted attempting to purchase drugs, charging him with any crime wasn’t much of an option since he didn’t have any drugs on him when he met with police. And figuring out who exactly the man was buying drugs from is challenging since, “He wasn’t really in the frame of mind to talk to me at length. I got what I could out of him.”

“I know it seems vague and it is vague at this point,” he said. “Something else might come down the road with a better description, but from what I’ve been dealing with, this is the best we got.”

Anyone with information related to this assault and robbery can contact the Riverhead Police Department at 727-4500 ext. 321.