STOCKTON, Calif. – The two 7-Eleven workers in Northern California who gave a would-be thief a thumping that went viral on social media and generated considerable support from the general public will not face criminal charges, according to authorities.
The store clerks were seen in videos shared to various social media platforms striking an aggressive man with a stick after the would-be thief made threats and tried to steal a large quantity cigarettes.
The perpetrator was later identified by Stockton police as 41-year-old Tyrone Frazier. Law enforcement officials said Frazier is believed to be connected to multiple thefts/robberies in the area, KTVU-TV reported.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced the 7-11 workers will not face prosecution for their actions in defending the store and trying to maintain its property.
“The Stockton 7-11 Store Clerks are not and have never been suspects of the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office,” San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported. “Any investigation going forward is to hold accountable the individual who threatened and attempted to rob them.”
Law Officer article, August 6, 2023
Stockton, California – Two 7-Eleven workers in California are now under investigation for assault after they beat a man that was stealing a trash can full of cigarettes.
In the viral video, one employee holds the thief down while his colleague relentlessly whacks him approximately 25 times.
“Okay, okay!” the thief screams at his attacker while pleading for mercy.
Before he was taken down by the retail workers, the robber had casually sauntered behind the California convenience store’s register with a 20-gallon trash can in tow.
He nonchalantly grabs fistfuls of tobacco products — including cigarettes, cigars and vapes — and tosses them into the bin as the off-camera workers plead for him to stop.
“Just let him go. There ain’t nothing you can do. They’re not going to do nothing,” the bystander who took the video can be heard saying, seemingly referencing the national string of thefts in which shoplifters raid shelves of supplies before walking out with their loot.
