NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- A security guard stabbed a homeless shoplifter to death as the two clashed inside a CVS store near Times Square on Thursday, according to police and reports.
The deadly scuffle unfolded at the CVS pharmacy at W. 49th Street and Broadway in Midtown around 12:25 a.m. Thursday after a 50-year-old man with a history of shoplifting arrests tried to steal from the store.
An ensuing argument led to a physical fight in which the shoplifter reportedly punched the security guard in the face and knocked him to the ground.
That's when the security guard allegedly stabbed the unidentified man in the torso.
NYPD officers responding to a 911 call about a "robbery in progress" arrived after the stabbing had taken place, police said.
The man was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where he was pronounced dead.
The security guard—Scotty Enoe, 46, of Brooklyn—was arrested and charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was taken to Mount Sinai West to be treated for his injuries.
His mother, Lucille Enoe, told the Daily News that he has no criminal record.
"It's frustrating and depressing that my son has been charged," she said. "My son was defending himself."
Shoplifting has become a major issue for pharmacies like CVS, which have put many of their products behind lock and key in the city to thwart brazen thieves.
The man who was stabbed was reportedly known for shoplifting in the area and had 14 arrests this year, mostly for petit larceny. He'd also been arrested for grand larceny, burglary, criminal mischief and criminal possession of a weapon, WABC reported.
Police said an investigation into the fatal altercation is ongoing.
CVS hasn't commented on the incident.
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