An East Bay convenience store clerk is recovering from second and third-degree burns after a shoplifter set the man on fire after attempting to prevent the criminal from stealing.
The shoplifter had already stolen from the store twice the same day as of the attack.Security camera footage shows the moment when Suraj was lit on fire. The flames engulfing the upper part of this body. CBS San Francisco reported the clerk, Suraj, is still in the hospital and has burns on his face, neck, and shoulders.
"It's terrible. You know, I'm still in a trauma right now, me, my family," said Suraj.
"He just splashed lighter fluid on my face, and I was so scared that moment," he recalled. "I tried to cover his hand, but I don't know. I don't remember. He just lit the fire on me you know. I just rushed to the restroom, and I just splashed water on my face."
The Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office they have arrested 38-year-old Kendall Burton, a Black homeless man in El Sobrante, for the startling attack. He's facing charges including assault with a deadly weapon, battery, arson and robbery. He's being held without bail.
Shoplifter sets East Bay store clerk on fire during confrontation
— Betty Yu (@bett_yu) October 1, 2023
The attack left Suraj with second and third-degree burns.
"It's terrible. You know, I'm still in a trauma right now, me, my family," he said from his hospital bed. @KPIXtv https://t.co/DPcdNNCP5x pic.twitter.com/lZN6G6r1RK
California has seen confrontations between store clerks and repeat robbers get more intense. In Stockton, one clerk repeatedly beat a shoplifter with a stick. The clerk was hailed as a hero for teaching the man a lesson as most shoplifters in the state are able to freely commit their crimes due to state laws decriminalizing shoplifting under a certain dollar amount.