SAN DIEGO — A group of teenagers in the South Bay punched a 7-Eleven employee in the face and then slammed her back into a candy rack, causing puncture wounds. Now the store’s owner is releasing a video of the incident, hoping their parents will see what happened and talk to their kids before the violence escalates any further.
Editors note: SDPD confirmed that five juveniles were detained related to this case and face charges of robbery and theft. Police have increased patrols in this area as time and staffing permit.
“It got very violent,” said Jason Habib, who owns the 7-Eleven on Palm Avenue in Egger Highlands. He says the trouble started just after midnight last Wednesday, August 17th. As soon as the teens walked into the store, employees recognized them from a run-in they had about 3 weeks ago, where the kids stole a bunch of items. This time, things turned physical.
And while his employee was being assaulted in the candy aisle, the video shows another teen slipping behind the counter with the cash register, stealing disposable vaping devices. As the teen tries to run out of the door, another employee tries to stop her and several of the devices drop on the floor. Another teen tries to pick some of them up and also runs for the exit.
Jason says there were eight teens involved. Police arrested four later that morning and his employees positively identified them as suspects. All of them are well under 18 years old. “It was at midnight on a school night.. so what are these 15-year-olds doing out on the street going around to businesses and stealing and assaulting people,” Jason asked.
He’s coming forward and releasing the video with the hope that the suspects parents will recognize them and talk to their kids. He fears the next time the teens try this, it could get even more violent. “I don't want them getting hurt inside my store either,” Jason said. “Even though they did what they did. We don't want to see violence in the store.”
Jason says he's heard from other store owners in the area having similar issues and he's reached out to police. He’s hoping more officers will patrol this community, but he also understands the reality of staffing shortages. “Less policing means less cops out there patrolling the streets,” he said.
There were no customers in the store when this happened, but Jason fears that next time they may not be as lucky. And a lot of his customers are community members with young children. “Their kids could have been in here buying a Slurpee when all this happened,” he said. “Could have gotten caught in the crossfire. They could have been hurt. They could have been injured.”
Jason says if this continues, he fears a lot of businesses, including his, will start leaving the area.
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