7-Eleven staff attack man who tried to steal bin full of cigarettes with sticks

03 August 2023 , 11:20

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7-Eleven staff attack man who tried to steal bin full of cigarettes with sticks

Two 7-Eleven workers have been recorded using a stick to beat a would-be thief who tried to steal dozens of packets of cigarettes from the California store.

Shocking video footage shows one person holding the thief down on the ground while another hits him more than 20 times with a stick. The thief can be heard shouting "Okay, okay!" pleading for his attacker to stop in the 30-second-long clip.

The would-be thief entered the convenience store in California with a plan to steal cigarettes. Wearing a blue balaclava to hide his face he can be seen going behind the counter dragging a large bin behind him.

He grabs fistfuls of cigarettes, cigars and vapes from behind the counter and throws them in the bin of loot to take away with him.

The would-be thief entered the convenience store in California with a plan to steal cigarettes

The worker and would-be-thief can be seen grappling with each other before the thief is pushed to the ground

Behind the camera a shopper tried to console the 7-Eleven worker and says Just let him go. There ain’t nothing you can do. They’re not going to do nothing" before asking if they shop has insurance.

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Shoplifting rates have increased across the US in recent months with a spate of incidents of thieves blatantly loading up trollies and bags with goods before fleeing reported. Theft cost American retailers $94 billion in 2022 — an alarming 90% increase since 2018, according to the National Retail Federation.

After loading the bin with tobacco products the thief then goes to push past one of the workers, demanding he moved out of the way.

One of the shop workers beats the man who attempted to steal with a wooden stick

The haul of snatched cigarettes were strewn across the floor during the attack (The haul of snatched cigarettes strewn across the floor)

The worker then intervenes and the pair scuffle before the thief falls to the floor and is pinned down by the staff member. Another staff member then rushes over with a large stick which looks to be a broom handle and begins to beat the man on the ground.

He hits him more than 20 times as the thief rolls around on the floor knocking over his bin of stolen goods. A bystander in the shop can be heard shouting, "That's called whooping your a**! Whoop his a**! Get him!" before asking the foiled thief "Are you ready to give up?" to which he replied: "Yeah, I'm done! I am going to go."

The staff member continues to rain blows down with the stick until the person videoing the incident shouts: "No more! No more!" The employees can then be heard discussing if they should call the police or not but decide to let him walk out of the store empty-handed.

Laura Hill