North Sound News

Clerk's fight with armed shoplifting suspect caught on camera

EVERETT, Wash. — A clerk who said he was fed up with a repeat shoplifter at an Everett convenience store ended up being stabbed in the head during an altercation that was caught on camera.

It happened at an AM PM store on 128th Street Southwest Thursday morning.

The clerk told KIRO 7 that the suspect has shoplifted at the store on numerous other occasions but when he saw the man stealing on Thursday, he was fed up and wanted to stop him and call police.

Surveillance video obtained by KIRO 7 shows a suspect with a backpack and wearing a blue baseball cap enter the store, grab doughnuts and a fountain drink before walking out without paying.

The clerk ran out of the store and yelled at the man to come back and pay, but the man kept going.  When the clerk caught up with the suspect, he grabbed the suspect's backpack that was believed to contain stolen items and then walked back into the store to call police.

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As the clerk is making the call, the suspect walked back into the store and began to attack the clerk behind the counter in an attempt to get his backpack back.

Video shows the suspect wielding some kind of knife as the two struggled to get control of the backpack.

The suspect eventually gave up when the clerk grabbed a stick from behind the counter and chased the man out of the store.

The clerk has a minor cut on his head and will be OK. The whole altercation happened in front of customers.

The clerk was able to hold on to the suspect's backpack and gave it to sheriffs deputies, who are still looking for the suspect.