7-Eleven officer attacked by street takeover mob in Anaheim, police say

During a street takeover in Anaheim early Sunday morning, a mob violently entered a nearby 7-Eleven, ransacked it and attacked the clerk, according to authorities.

At 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Anaheim police officers responded to calls of an illegal street takeover at the intersection of Orange and Knott avenues.

As officers made their way to the scene, they received another call about a robbery at the 7-Eleven convenience store at the same intersection, said Sgt. Matt Sutter, a police spokesman.

“The response was delayed because all the street racers were blocking the intersection and surrounding streets,” Sutter said.

By the time officers arrived at the store, the suspects had already fled.

According to police, an unknown number of people were in the store for about two minutes, ransacked it and attacked the clerk, leaving him with a bloody nose.

In a video of the attack posted on Instagram, two masked men can be seen trying to force open the doors of the 7-Eleven while shouting “be careful” at the employee who is holding the doors and trying to keep them closed.

When the men manage to open the doors, they hit the employee in the abdomen and scuffle with him before briefly retreating.

As the group then pushes into the store, the clerk tries to defend himself with what appears to be a metal bar but is repeatedly punched while others in the group steal merchandise, knock over displays and jump on the checkout counter, the video shows .

At one point, the employee can be seen on the ground screaming and clutching his chest while people in the crowd take pictures on their phones and laugh.

The looters stole the store’s cash register and the total damage from the robbery is unknown, according to police.

Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) 847-6227.

Sutter said the street takeover and robbery were the first such incidents that he was aware of in the city of Anaheim, although similar incidents have been increasing in other parts of Southern California.

“This has our full attention because this can happen in other counties, but it is new to Orange County and we will stop this before it starts,” Sutter said.