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A pair of 7-Eleven workers in California were left with no choice but to take on a brazen thief by themselves - but they were hardly empty-handed.
Stunning footage showed the scene filmed in 2023 at the store. The thief was clearing shelves and dumping merchandise into a trash can.
A stunned onlooker filmed the incident and encouraged the employees to wait until the police arrived.
They confronted the suspect about why he was stealing so much, but the thief threatened to shoot them and continued to scoop armfuls of goods into the trash can.
The workers eventually had enough and came together to restrain him and hit the suspect with a large wooden stick.
In the video, a man who wore a dirty white t-shirt, jeans and a blue head covering, aggressively threw tobacco items into a trash can.
One of the workers is heard asking: 'Hey, why are you stealing everything?' before the thief threatened to 'pull my strap on your b**** ass'.
A customer tried to diffuse the situation and told the employees 'Just let him go. Ain't nothing you can do until the police come here.'
The customer also asked the workers if the store was insured and advised them to wait for the authorities.
The thief tried to get past an employee with his trash can of stolen goods while shouting, 'watch out boss.'
The pair got into an altercation as the worker grabbed the trash can and tried to restrain the suspect.
A second 7-Eleven staff member arrived and hit the thief with a large wooden stick as the suspect shouted in pain.
One worker continued to strike the thief while his colleague tackled and restrained him on the ground.
A stunned onlooker filmed the incident and encouraged the employees to just wait until the police arrived
The employee was seen swinging the stick behind his back to generate force and continued to hit he suspect's torso, legs and back, as he shouted in pain
The employee was seen swinging the stick behind his back to generate force and continues to hit the suspect's torso, legs and back as he shouted in pain.
The thief screamed 'it's OK' and pleaded for mercy, but the employee continued to hit him.
'That's called whoopin' your a***,' the customer told him.
It is not clear exactly when the incident happened, but the 7-Eleven store's lottery games on display indicates it was in California.
Dailymail.com has reached out to 7-Eleven for comment.
Shoplifting has reached unprecedented levels across America with brazen thieves strolling out of stores with their arms full of stolen goods.
The National Retail Federation said that the scourge - which grew worse during the pandemic - cost the industry almost $100billion in 2022.
David Johnston, who represents the organization, said: 'These acts are occurring more openly and thieves have become more brazen and aggressive in stealing merchandise.
