7-Eleven Owners In California Who Beat Up A Serial Cigarette Shoplifter With A Stick Will Not Face Charges

The mayor of the city has confirmed that the two Sikh employees from a California 7-Eleven, who were caught on video preventing an attempted robbery by beating the suspect with a stick, will not be facing charges.

Republican Mayor Kevin Lincoln of Stockton revealed on social media on Tuesday that the employees have never been considered as suspects in the incident that took place on July 29.

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In the startling attempted robbery, a presumed homeless individual leaped behind the counter of the convenience store and attempted to empty shelves into a trash can.

According to a witness, one employee saw the man and took him down, and another employee used a stick to hit the person who was trying to steal.

City of stockon

After the incident, the police said they were looking into what the employees did. But now, Mayor Lincoln has said that these employees are not being looked at as suspects anymore.

"Any investigation going forward is to hold accountable the individual who threatened and attempted to rob the store clerks," a Twitter post read Tuesday. 

According to Lincoln, even though Stockton Police are still investigating the events, the District Attorney's office has reassured him that the store clerks are not the main focus of the investigation.

He shared that he got this information from a talk with Ron Freitas, the District Attorney of San Joaquin County, which happened on Tuesday.

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Additionally, the Republican mayor criticized a controversial California law known as Proposition 47. This law turned many serious crimes into less serious ones. Lincoln mentioned that this law affects businesses dealing with increased shoplifting and reduces the ability of law enforcement to properly punish criminals.

Lincoln expressed that the video showing the attempted robbery and the actions of the store workers gained a lot of attention on social media. Many people praised the employees for confronting the thief.

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The alleged thief was reportedly attempting to steal tobacco products from behind the store counter. It's said that this was the third time in two days that he had targeted the same store.

Despite the widespread appreciation for the employees' actions, Stockton Police put out a statement indicating that they were looking into the possibility of the workers committing assault.

"It has been brought to our attention that a video of two 7-Eleven employees assaulting a robbery suspect has been circulating. We are aware of the incident and the investigation is ongoing," a statement read. 

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"On July 28 at 3.41am, staff at the 7-Eleven reported a man entered the store, went behind the counter, and threatened to shoot the victim if he intervened," police said. 

"The suspect then took several packs of cigarettes and other items and placed them in a large garbage bag before fleeing."

"The following day, at 12.27am, the same man returned and demanded money while simulating having a handgun."

"The employee did not comply; therefore, the suspect grabbed several food items and placed them in a garbage bag before fleeing," police said.

"The thief then returned several hours later with the trashcan and tried to fill it with cigarettes, before the staff were filmed beating him up. He left the shop and later sought medical help for his injuries."

"On July 29, 2023, at 3:05 a.m, officers responded to the area of Center St/Market St, to meet with Stockton Fire Dept who was with a male the suspect requesting medical aid and complained of pain to his leg and shoulder," police said.

"The man did not know if he had been assaulted. The man was then transported to an area hospital to be treated for a complaint of pain."

Tyrone Frazier, the person who tried to rob the store, appeared in court on Wednesday. He didn't say if he's guilty or not for the six charges against him.

WTVR

Frazier is dealing with two accusations of robbery, trying to rob, making criminal threats, breaking into a store, and damaging property. One of the charges is related to the attempted robbery that was recorded on video.

Witness Louis Benton, who filmed the viral footage, told abc10: "I was shocked, so that's why I really didn't say anything in the video."

"I really just posted it on my (Instagram) stories and then from there someone took it off my stories and it just went viral,' he said, in part."

"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."

"The police station is right across the street. Why is there no presence over there?"

"The community needs to take care of each other and we need to make sure that we are morally doing the right things. We've got to change."