A man working at a New York City deli narrowly escaped a shift on Saturday morning with his life following an encounter with an armed man.

According to the New York Daily News, a coworker said 35-year-old Sukhdev Singh was seriously injured by the machete-wielding suspect, who allegedly cut the employee on the shoulder.

“He has no idea what happened or why it happened,” said Gurpreet Singh of his injured colleague. “He was standing at the counter reading and the guy, he just came out of nowhere.”

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A police statement indicates the attack occurred at about 11 a.m., following an argument between the two men at the Liberty Bagel Deli and Grocery location near the intersection of Ninth Avenue and West 48th Street.

Emergency personnel arrived on the scene a short time later and rushed the injured worker to an area hospital, as reported by the New York Post. Reports indicate his injuries are not expected to be life-threatening.

Though police say the suspect fled the scene on foot, he reportedly dropped the machete. Responding officers say they recovered the weapon and kept it as evidence in the case.

Gurpreet Singh identified the suspect as a local nuisance named “Ricardo” who had been kicked out of the deli on multiple occasions.

“He was always drinking a beer,” the employee said. “Day by day, he started to look like a bum.”

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[Featured image: video screenshot]