MIAMI – Police are investigating an armed robbery of a Miami market that they say left a store clerk injured early Tuesday morning.
Authorities said they responded to Mercy Supermarket, located at 6600 Biscayne Blvd., after receiving a call about an armed robbery just after 5 a.m. in which a male victim was injured.
Surveillance video shows the store clerk, who had been mopping moments earlier, being startled as two masked, armed culprits approached the front door, police said.
The masked individuals were seen chasing the clerk inside the store, forcing him into a small room with the cash register where one of the culprits pistol-whipped him and held him at gunpoint while the other grabbed cash and Lottery tickets, according to investigators.
As one of the thieves exited the room while the clerk remained held at gunpoint, the other masked individual was caught on camera filling a box with items from the aisles, investigators said.
The clerk, who was later taken to North Shore Medical Center, remained alert and spoke with police when they arrived.
Asad Hossain, another clerk who works at the store, expressed fear for their safety. He also said the clerk involved in Tuesday’s incident has worked at the store for seven years and has been a target of crime in the past.
“I’m very upset about this incident, but I feel lucky that I wasn’t there. He’s lucky he was not shot,” Hossain said. “I don’t want to continue working here.”
Additional surveillance video also shows the moments police arrived at the scene and spoke to the victim who appeared conscious and was drinking water despite taking repeated blows to the head, authorities said.
At this time, the amount of cash taken and the value of Lottery tickets stolen remains unclear.
Police urge anyone with information about the culprits to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.