Man gets life sentence in 2022 Tracy convenience store attack that left clerk with catastrophic injuries
A man convicted in a brutal 2022 attack on a convenience store clerk in Tracy was sentenced to life in prison plus 14 years, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said in a press release that Rene Vega was sentenced on May 4 after being convicted of attempted murder, aggravated mayhem, attempted robbery, and criminal threats, along with enhancements of causing great bodily injury and use of a deadly weapon.
The charges stemmed from what authorities called a violent and unprovoked attack at a Tracy AMPM store at about 4:30 a.m. on May 21, 2022., has resulted in a life sentence for defendant Rene Vega.
According to prosecutors, Vega entered the store while the female victim was working alone and attempted to take two Gatorades without paying while also demanding that the victim put $50 worth of gas into his vehicle. The victim repeatedly tried to de-escalate the situation and offering to pay for the items and comply, but Vega became increasingly agitated, threatening to kill and assault her.
Vega then ripped a metal bar from the wall and went behind the counter to attack the clerk, repeatedly striking her in the head and face until the bar broke, prosecutors said.
The victim, who had never met Vega, suffered catastrophic injuries, including multiple skull fractures, a broken jaw, blindness, a brain bleed, and other life-threatening trauma, the DA's Office said.
"This was a calculated and extraordinarily violent attack on a completely innocent victim simply doing her job," said District Attorney Ron Freitas in a prepared statment. "The level of brutality in this case is difficult to comprehend. Because of the relentless work of law enforcement and our prosecution team, this defendant will spend the rest of his life where he can no longer harm anyone."