indica News Bureau-
A convenience store clerk who was attacked by two robbers on Sunday, December 22, said that it was both fear and adrenaline that allowed him to fight back and he only realized how grave the situation was until he saw the video.
The store at Kam’s Market is owned by Indian American Kamal Sandhu. The struggle ended with the clerk shooting and fatally wounding the suspect late night on Sunday.
The whole incident was recorded in a security camera at Kam’s Market in the 200 block of Port Chicago Highway. Bay Point, California.
The video shows two people with their faces covered entering the store around 11 p.m. Sunday as the cashier works behind the cash register. One suspect turn into the store aisles, while the other heads directly behind the counter, reported The Mercury News. The suspect can be seen holding a gun as he approaches the cashier, pistol-whipping him and pushing him to the ground before grabbing cash from the register. As the suspect is momentarily distracted, the clerk grabs for a gun in a drawer right next the register.
The employee was later identified as Mark Kasprowicz who is a military veteran, and has worked for years at the store. He received 12 stitches in his head at the hospital following the attack.
“It’s pretty heroic,” said the store owner Sandhu. “The guy was on top of him and hurting his back, and I think that’s why he tried to get up and get the gun.”
Kasprowicz told reporters he didn’t realize how dangerous the incident was until he watched the video.
“I don’t know if it was fear and adrenaline kicked in together, but I tried to protect myself a little. He forced me onto the ground, he held me down,” Kasprowicz told ABC7. “Sure, he is deceased now but then again I’m lucky to be alive, I am lucky my co-worker is alive.”
Sandhu added, “It was kind of a last-chance thing, like him-or-me thing. I think the (suspect) got scared and he yelled to the other guy, ‘He’s got a gun.’ When they tried to run, (Kaprowicz) shot. He didn’t miss.”
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the shooting but did not identify the suspect who was fatally shot or provide any details Monday, saying only that they are investigating. Coroner’s deputies confirmed that they were called to the area.
