Watch: Teens Attack Gary Gas Station Employee
GARY, Ind. (CBS) -- A bold attack on an employee at a gas station in Gary Thursday night was captured by the store's surveillance camera.
It started as teenagers playing around then quickly turned violent.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports the employee remains hospitalized and police are searching for the attackers.
The video shows employee Yahya Alkalap walking to the entrance of the Clark Gas Station on Grant Street, where he works. Within seconds, he's surrounded by a group of young men. One dressed in a bright yellow shirt and green walking shorts uses his left arm to punch Alkalap in the head, knocking him to the ground.
Saleh Mohamad, the owner of the gas station, says Alkalap suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and a swollen eye.
The same person who punched Alkalap took his cell phone while another grabbed his wallet. One person appeared to be videotaping the entire incident.
"That's what the police are trying to see, are they going to broadcast it, like on Facebook or something, so they're looking at if now," Mohamed said.
About two hours before the father and husband was beaten and robbed, the young men entered the gas station convenience store, where they bought a few things. Minutes before the attack, some walked into the store. The one who punched Alkalap is captured on video waving to the cashier. Outside, one of the young men walked on top of a customer's car before the assault is carried out.
"I was shocked to see that. What happened after that, why they come and jump on the customer's car and do that to our employee?" Mohamed said. "I was shocked. It's hard to understand why they did what they did."
Mohamed posted images of the young men seen in the video all over his store.
"I'm confident that Gary Police and the Lake County Sheriff will get a result in this, with the help of the community, they will get those guys to justice," he said.
Mohamed says Alkalap was working to support his family in South Yemen.
