Gas Station Clerk Slashed With Box Cutter In Hawthorne; Suspect Arrested
HAWTHORNE (CBSLA.com) — A gas station clerk remained hospitalized Thursday for treatment of stab wounds sustained in a robbery.
Shortly before 1:00 a.m., officers were sent to a Chevron Gas Station located in the 3700 block of West Imperial Avenue, near Doty Avenue, for report of a possible robbery, according to the Hawthorne Police Department.
Upon their arrival, police located a male clerk and a male suspect fighting. Officers broke up the fight, and arrested the suspect who was described as an African American man in his 20s.
Paramedics transported the clerk for treatment of multiple stab wounds to Harbor UCLA Hospital. His condition remains unknown at this time. The suspect also sustained injuries during the altercation.
A preliminary investigation revealed the suspect purchased an ear piece worth no more than $10 on Wednesday.
Overnight, he returned to the gas station, and asked the clerk for his money back.
When the clerk refused to issue a refund, the suspect repeatedly punched the clerk, pulled out a box cutter, and slashed him several times.
Police said the clerk did not let go of the suspect until authorities arrived to the scene.
According to the manager of the gas station, Moti Balyan, the man is a repeat robbery suspect who has stolen items from the store over the past four to five days.
Authorities subsequently arrested 24-year-old Wesley Williams on suspicion of robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. He is being held on $100,000 at the Hawthorne Police Department.