Manhattan man arrested for string of pharmacy thefts dies in NYC custody, say police
A man arrested for a string of shoplifting thefts from a Greenwich Village drugstore died in police custody at a Manhattan hospital, police said Friday.
Travis Durkin, 47, of the East Village, died after he was charged with multiple thefts at the same Duane Reade store on W. 4th St. near Broadway, cops said.
Durkin allegedly stole $1,683 worth of merchandize on three trips to the store, on Jan. 15 and Jan. 16. He returned on Jan. 18 and tried to steal $40 of merchandise when cops took him into custody.
Durkin was charged with two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of grand larceny and one count of petit larceny for the three incidents, police said.
While he was awaiting arraignment, Durkin was found unconscious at a Manhattan courthouse holding cell.
He was pronounced dead on Thursday, police said.
The NYPD Force Investigation Division was investigating the death.
Durkin had been arrested more than 40 times since 1998, on charges including drug possession, drug sales and larceny, a source said.
A spokesperson for the city Medical Examiner’s office said Durkin’s cause of death has not yet been determined.
