Corey Samerson, 23, was arrested in the theft and accused of committing at least three other armed robberies in Manhattan in early January.
Mr. Samerson had just spent almost four years in federal prison for a similar string of armed robberies. At his sentencing in 2019, he told the court that he committed them to pay for drugs.
In a letter to the judge in 2019, Mr. Samerson’s mother said she had pleaded with everyone — from church youth leaders to Mr. Samerson’s probation officer — for help with his drug addiction, anger issues and suicidal thoughts.
“Here I am with a young man with so much potential but crying out for help,” she wrote, “and there are no resources.”
In the current case, Mr. Samerson, who remains in custody, was ordered by a judge to receive medical treatment last month. His lawyer declined to comment.
As Mr. Alhirsh was recovering from that robbery, he was attacked again. Earlier this month, he ran out of the store to stop someone who had stolen a bottle of coconut water. The person’s accomplice shoved him to the sidewalk, according to video footage. It was about 9 p.m., and no one was around to help. Mr. Alhirsh stood up in a daze, hands bleeding, and walked back into the store.
Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Jonah E. Bromwich contributed reporting.