VIDEO: Brazen robber drags 66-year-old man down Queens sidewalk in daring $17,000 daylight mugging

A pair of muggers beat and dragged a 66-year-old man kicking and screaming across a concrete sidewalk in Queens as they robbed him of $17,000 in a wild caught-on-camera robbery, police said Saturday.

Police released the frightening video, as well as images of the two crooks in the hope they are brought to justice before they harm anyone else.

The victim was walking along 71st St. towards Juniper Valley Road in Middle Village about 1:20 p.m. on Thursday when one of the two thieves crept up to him from behind and knocked him onto the pavement, cops said.

The robber rolled the victim onto his back and tried to take a bag from him, but lost his grip and stepped backwards as the older man tried to fight him off, the video shows.

But a second later the suspect lunged again, punching and slapping the victim as he tried to get the bag, which the victim held close to his chest.

“Help! Help!” the victim screamed repeatedly as the mugger dragged him down the sidewalk on his back in a furious tug-of-war for the bag.

At one point during the vicious attack the mugger stomped on his victim’s head, the video shows.

After dragging the victim nearly 10 feet, the crook punched the older man repeatedly in the face and chest until he gave it up, the video shows.

The thief ran off down the street to a waiting maroon-colored Ford Fusion that cops say was driven by an accomplice. The car sped off toward Eliot Ave., cops said.

The victim suffered several bruises and scratches and was treated at the scene. When questioned, he told police that the bag held $17,000 in cash. It was unclear if the thieves knew the victim had that much money on him.

Using surveillance video recovered at the scene and on surrounding blocks, cops backtracked the thieves’ movements to the Artis Drug and Surgical Supplies store on Eliot Ave., about a mile from the robbery scene.

There, investigators recovered surveillance images of the two thieves, who are described as white or Hispanic with medium builds with short dark hair.

At the time of the robbery the mugger wore a dark-colored hooded jacket, red, white and blue Tommy Hilfiger sweatpants, white sneakers, a blue and white North Face baseball cap and glasses.

His accomplice wore a dark-colored hooded jacket, dark-colored sweatpants, gray sneakers and a blue Houston Astros baseball cap.

Anyone with information regarding their whereabouts is urged to call NYPD Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.