Two 7-Eleven employees are reportedly under investigation after a video went viral showing them stopping and beating an alleged robber who had robbed the store twice within a 24-hour span.
In a now-viral video, two workers at a 7-Eleven location in Stockton, California can be seen stopping and beating the alleged robber with what appears to be a wooden stick. The Stockton Police Department (SPD) noted that they were “aware” of the incidents that had occurred at the 7-Eleven store, according to a statement posted to Facebook.
“It has been brought to our attention that a video of two 7-Eleven employees assaulting a robbery suspect has been circulating,” the SPD wrote in the post. “We are aware of the incident and the investigation is ongoing. The following is to provide clarity on the situation.”
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.
— Madisen Keavy (@madisenkeavy) August 4, 2023
Answers from the man behind the camera. @CBSSacramento pic.twitter.com/lIq0ERhpqd
The SPD wrote in the post that one incident had occurred on July 28, around 3:41 a.m. where an employee from 7-Eleven had reported an alleged robber had gone “behind the counter, and threatened to shoot the victim if he intervened.” During this incident, the robber reportedly took “several packs of cigarettes and other items.”
A second incident occurred around 12:27 on July 29. The robber, who was reported to be the same person as the one from the first incident, came into the 7-Eleven 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,” SPD wrote in the post.
Following this incident, officers from the department responded to Center St and Market St at 3:05 a.m. on July 29 where they met a man who was seeking “medical aid and complained of pain to his leg and shoulder.” The officers were unsure if he was a “victim of assault” or if he was the alleged suspect in the 7-Eleven robberies.
In the viral video, which was filmed around 2:45 a.m. a robber can be seen pulling cigarettes off of shelves while arguing with employees, the man then attempts to maneuver around the employees with the trashcan to which one holds him down while another can be seen beating him with a wooden bat.
“The other gentleman stops him and holds him,” Louis Benton, the man who filmed the viral video told Fox40 in an interview. “The other employee grabs a stick and just starts going to town,” he said adding that he was “shocked.”
IJR reached out to the Stockton Police Department but did not receive a response back but the time of publication.