Metro

Cops search for thief who hits victims with hammer

A hammer-wielding thief, who has attacked three New Yorkers during violent robberies, has been named.

Police believe 28-year-old Anthony Coward is responsible for the string of terrifying attacks in Queens and Brooklyn.

Coward began his violent spree on March 5 when he walked up behind a 26-year-old woman around 7 a.m. on Pershing Crescent, near Lander Street, in Briarwood, and smashed her over the head with a silver hammer, cops said. The attacker grabbed the victim’s purse and fled, according to police.

The victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition.

Last Sunday, Coward allegedly ambushed a 23-year-old man in Brownsville, Brooklyn around 11 a.m., in the Rockaway Avenue subway station, cops said. The attacker hit that victim several times, first on the head and then on his body, before grabbing the man’s wallet and fleeing, police added. That victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was treated and released.

On Wednesday, Coward struck again, smashing a 32-year-old man’s head with his hammer and demanding cash, police said. The victim had been purchasing a MetroCard inside a train station on Rockaway Avenue around 9:20 a.m., cops added. The rider turned over his cash and Coward ran away, police said.

That victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital for treatment of a head injury and released, authorities said.

Police are asking for the public’s help locating Coward, who is 5-foot-10 and about 140 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.