The pair of 7-Eleven employees in California who recently thrashed and held down a suspect in their store are not in danger of facing charges.
The workers took matters into their own hands when a man allegedly tried to steal cigarettes from behind the counter, Fox 11 reported Wednesday.
However, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday the employees were not in trouble.
In a statement, District Attorney Ron Freitas said, “The Stockton 7-11 Store Clerks are not & have never been, suspects of the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office.”
“Any Investigation going forward is to hold accountable the individual who threatened & attempted to rob them. We will have more information as it becomes available,” Freitas continued.
Social media users were quick to offer their thoughts on the announcement, one person writing, “Good to hear. The public has spoken and they approve of the clerk’s actions. The public is tired of these criminals encouraged by lenient prosecution.”
“Let’s keep it that way. The Sikh gentlemen that stopped this (probably career) criminal need an award. We are all sick of these crimes and the emboldened low life’s threatening the livelihood of retail owners,” another user replied.
Video footage shows the initial incident when the suspect was pushing a garbage can and shoving boxes of tobacco products into the receptacle as he moved along behind the counter, Breitbart News reported August 3.
However, things got heated when one of the employees tried to stop the man from leaving and another began pounding him with a large stick:
Additional video footage shows the beatdown continue:
The Breitbart News article also highlighted a few relevant facts:
In June, the California State Senate passed a bill that would bar employers from requiring their workers to intervene during a shoplifting incident, a problem that has increased in the state thanks to criminal justice reforms, Breitbart News reported.
However, retail associations are furious over the move because they say the bill lets potential thieves know they are allowed to steal whenever they wish.
It is also important to note that Breitbart News reported in 2015 that California’s Proposition 47 of 2014, “which changed some drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors,” coincided with increasing crime across different areas of the state.
Following the incident at 7-Eleven, the suspect was arrested somewhere else and identified as 41-year-old Tyrone Frazier, who is believed to be linked to other robberies, the Fox report said.