Darby gas station store clerk robbed, beaten badly in attack (With Video)

DARBY BOROUGH -- A gas station convenience store clerk was kicked, beaten and choked unconscious and when he came to, was beaten again when his attackers mistakenly thought he had sounded an alarm, police said Wednesday.

Police Chief Robert Smythe had a hard time categorizing the early Tuesday ambush as an "unarmed" robbery, but the two suspects displayed no weapon other than their fists and feet from the time they forced their way into the Sunoco A Plus mini market at 321 N. MacDade Blvd., until they left.

"They weren't finished, they were scared off," Smythe said at a press conference, offering surveillance video of the incident that he described as "savagery."

"There really was no reason for them to do what they did," Smythe said of the violence displayed by the suspects.

"It's extremely important we get these guys off the street."

Smythe is asking anyone with information to call police headquarters at 610-461-5600.

The clerk, who managed to call police once the suspects fled, was visibly shaken when police responded to the scene, about 3 a.m. He told investigators he opened the back door to the store and was ambushed by two males who were lying in wait.

The suspects forced the clerk back into the store and continuously beat the clerk. At one point, the clerk was choked unconscious. When he came to, having already suffered a fractured kneecap, he was beaten again.

The clerk, who police described as being in his 40s, was treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

While the clerk's injuries are not life-threatening, Smythe at a press conference Wednesday expressed little doubt that had the suspects been armed, his officers would probably be investigating a homicide.

"He is very fortunate to be alive," Smythe said of the clerk.

The suspects made off with an undisclosed sum of money, cigarettes and gift and phone cards from the store. They also robbed the clerk, taking his wallet, cash and cell phone.

The pair fled the store and were last seen running in the alley in the 1100 block of Wycombe Avenue.

Both suspects are black males, about 20 years old. One is light-skinned, between about 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall with a thin build, about 150 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans, a white T-shirt and had a blue scarf around his neck. The second suspect is darker-skinned and has a larger build than his accomplice. He is about 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 9 inches tall and was wearing blue jeans and a dark hooded sweatshirt.

Though the Sunoco is a 24-hour gas station and market, the doors are locked overnight and customers are waited on through a window.

Smythe said the suspects were there before the store door was locked for the night. He suspects they were aware of the clerk's activities, including when he would take out the trash.

A button that the suspects thought was a silent alarm unlocked the door.

According to Smythe, investigators are seeing a number of crimes in which suspects are wearing bandannas, which could be indicative of gang involvement.

"I don't know if the bandanna is a trend," Smythe said. "We do see it a lot."

Smythe said one of the suspects had his bandana tied around his neck.

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