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Two 7-Eleven Employees Under Investigation After Thwarting Suspected Gun-Strapped Thief: Report
Two 7-Eleven workers in Northern California are under investigation by local police after stopping and assaulting a suspected gun-strapped thief who allegedly had robbed the convenience store twice just hours earlier.
In a now-viral video filmed on July 29 around 2:45 a.m., an unnamed male wearing a mask allegedly walked behind the front counter of a 7-Eleven store located in Stockton, California, and began clearing shelves of cigarettes and other store products into a large trash can, apparently with the intent to steal the items.
The suspect could be heard arguing with the employees and simulating that he was strapped with a gun behind his back. He then maneuvered around the employees with the trash can until one pinned him on the ground while the other beat the suspect’s legs roughly two dozen times with a large wooden stick.
“The other gentleman stops him and holds him. The other employee grabs a stick and just starts going to town,” Louis Benton, who filmed the altercation, told Fox40. “I’m shocked like, ‘what am I watching? What am I seeing now?'”
FULL STORY: #Stockton 7-Eleven employees stop a would-be thief from getting away with a trash can fill of cigarettes/other items from behind the register.
Answers from the man behind the camera. @CBSSacramento pic.twitter.com/lIq0ERhpqd
— Madisen Keavy (@madisenkeavy) August 4, 2023
After a certain point, Benton said he intervened and de-escalated the situation.
“It came to a point where it got a little excessive so I was kind of like, ‘Yo, you know, we got to chill, we got to relax,'” Benton told ABC10. “Those two workers who protected their store, they did a courageous act. I believe that if I wasn’t there that guy would probably be more hurt than he was.”
In a recent update, Stockton Police Department reportedly said the incident is under investigation, and the suspected thief reportedly carried out two other robberies at the 7-Eleven location within the same 24-hour period.
On July 28, just after midnight, the suspect stole several packs of cigarettes from behind the counter after threatening to shoot the clerk. Authorities said the following night, the suspect demanded an employee give him money while claiming he was carrying a gun. The employee refused to comply until the suspect stole food items and left.
Roughly two hours later, police said the suspect returned to the store for the incident captured on video.
Authorities reportedly have linked all investigations and will refer the findings to the San Joaquin County district attorney for review.
According to Blaze Media, Stockton ranks 3 out of 100 on Neighborhood Scout’s crime index, where 100 is the safest. Violent crime affects 1 in every 79 people, and the likelihood of experiencing property crime is 1 in 30.