Stephen Rex Brown Le Basket at 683 Broadway.

An armed thief robbed the popular bodega, Le Basket, this morning and made off with around $3,000.

Police said that the heist occurred at around 4:35 a.m. Nick Lee, the 51-year-old owner of the business on Broadway at East Third Street, said that the suspect held up one of his employees (who was still working at lunchtime) at gunpoint and demanded the cash from the registers.

Mr. Lee added that the police told him that the crime was possibly the work of a suspect in at least six other robberies in Manhattan. A police spokesman could not confirm this. At around 12:30 p.m. the bodega was crowded, as usual, with customers ordering sandwiches and picking at the buffet.

“It’s crazy, he’s probably going to get shot,” said Mr. Lee of the suspect. The owner of the bodega then opened his wallet, pointed to a concealed weapon permit and said, “I have to defend myself, he pointed a gun at one of my guys.”

He added, “I’m a piece-carrier,” and lifted his sweatshirt, revealing a holstered gun.