Sikh man, co-worker under probe for ‘assaulting’ shoplifter in US

The suspected thief is believed to have robbed the store two other times within the same 24-hour period.

New York: A Sikh man is among two convenience store workers in the US being probed by the authorities for “assaulting” a suspected thief who tried to rob the shop, the video of which has gone viral.

The incident took place on July 29 at a 7-Eleven store in California’s Stockton city, according to news website cbsnews.com. In the viral video, a masked man is seen emptying shelves of cigarettes and other products from the store’s shelves before two employees of the shop stepped in to stop him. The clip shows one of the employees pinning the alleged thief down, while the Sikh man beats him with a stick.

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In an update on its Facebook page on Sunday, Stockton police said they are investigating the assault of the 7-Eleven robbery suspect by two workers. “It has been brought to our attention that a video of two 7-Eleven employees assaulting a robbery suspect has been circulating. We are aware of the incident and the investigation is ongoing,” it said.

The suspected thief is believed to have robbed the store two other times within the same 24-hour period, online portal kcra.com reported, quoting Stockton police. “The case has been assigned to our Investigations Bureau for follow-up interviews and evidence review. Once the investigations are complete the findings will be forwarded to the San Joaquin County District Attorney for review,” the police said in the Facebook update.