An attempted liquor store robbery turned violent when a man who tried to steal beer instead started slinging cans of the cold ones at the clerk.
The incident happened in November at the Craig Liquor store in Santa Ana, but the video was only released Tuesday. A suspect walked into the store and at first asked for soda, but when he got the beer and it was time to pay, he started a tug of war that ended with flying cans of alcohol and an injured clerk.
Salama Sedra, the clerk, said he didn't see the robbery attempt coming since the suspect first asked for Coca Cola, then Corona. He made it very clear he wanted it in cans.
Initially, the suspect couldn't seem to find his way around the store, so Sedra had to help him, walking to the cooler and grabbing the 12-pack of beer for him and carrying it back to the register.
Sedra told the man how much the beer would cost, and that's when the tug of war began.
"When we went back and forth fighting for the 12-pack, the 12-pack got ripped," Sedra said.
Surveillance video captured what happened next.
With beer cans spewed on the floor and counter, the suspect takes aim and begins launching cans at Sedra. The cans can be heard on the surveillance footage as they knock things over, Sedra ducking all the while to protect himself.
Sedra then turns the tables and jumps out from behind the counter, hurling cans at the suspect as he flees out of the store, where Sedra says he got into a green SUV with a few other people inside.
"I never had somebody come to fight with me, never had before," Sedra said.
He said the suspect destroyed bottles of vodka and whiskey, as well as the cash register. Sedra said he couldn't sleep for five days after the fight.
Police describe the suspect as a Hispanic man around 35 years old, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 200 pounds. Police say he has tattoos on both sides oh his neck and on his right outer calf.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Santa Ana Police Department's Police Investigative Specialist L. Delisle at (714) 245-8647.
