Caught On Camera: Modesto Gas Station Customer Violently Attacked And Robbed
MODESTO (CBS13) — Beaten, robbed and dragged from his car, a Modesto man stood no chance against a group of young men in a ruthless attack.
The assault happened at the ampm off 5th Street Thursday and it's all caught on surveillance video. In the video, what looks like a simple conversation suddenly becomes shockingly violent.
"His face was puffed out a lot because of the injury," said Joseph Lopez, an employee at the Arco gas station.
Lopez was done with his shift and taking a coworker home when he saw everything.
"I turned around and said 'We can't leave him like that because the guy could be dead we don't know what's the matter with this guy. We need to help him, call an ambulance,'" he said.
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CBS13 spoke with customers Friday who said bad things often happen in this area, but usually not this bad. The victim was helpless.
"What could you do? If it was that fast..what could you do?" said Mike Sanders, a gas station customer.
Modesto Police said these suspects have likely done this before. Just days before this attack, police responded to Maze Boulevard and Martin Luther King for an assault and robbery. The suspects were armed with handguns and stole cash, leaving one victim hurt so bad they went to the hospital.
Police ended up catching and arresting four males for the crime. Two of them teenagers and the oldest just 25.
"Kids...you'd hope you could defend yourself from them, but when there's a bunch of them that don't care and have the blood lust for whatever they want..they're going get it," Sanders said.
Lopez said he's used to violent crime on the job and calls it part of his routine.
"Just another day in Modesto..sorry to say but that's how it's getting around here," he said.
Police said this is an ongoing investigation and are still looking for information from witnesses. The suspects are facing charges for robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.
