A violent armed robbery and assault was caught on camera in San Francisco’s Mission District.
The incident happened Thursday night at a convenience store near Mission and 26th streets.
According to store employees, a light-colored sedan pulled up outside the business. The driver stayed inside the car while three other people hopped out of the car.
In the store’s surveillance video, three armed men were seen beating and threatening workers. Workers said the incident lasted about a minute.
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“He started pushing me with the gun. ‘I will pop you. I will pop you. I will shoot you. I will kill you,’” said Ramesh, a store employee.
Ramesh, who didn’t want to give out his last name, said he was hit in the head with a gun. He was then punched while he was on the ground by a suspect in an orange hoodie.
Two other suspects made sure to empty the register with another employee. It’s unclear how much the suspects made off with.
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The next day, both the cashier and Ramesh were back at work, still trying to process the terrifying incident. The weight of what could have been because Ramesh said he provides for his family in the Bay Area and overseas.
Ryen Motzek, the President of the Board for the Mission Merchants Association, gave his reaction to the incident.
“I have so many business owners that come up to me and they’re like ‘Ryen, how am I supposed to do business here?’” he said.
Motzek said the cleanliness of the area has gone downhill and added crime in the area is also the cause.
“These business owners that are again hanging on by a thread to come to their café in the morning and have their windows busted up for no reason. I mean every time that happens, it’s a major setback,” he said.
Ramesh told NBC Bay Area Friday that he can’t afford a setback. His only hope is that some justice is served for the men, who assaulted and stole from them.
Ramesh also wants others to start reporting what happens to them too.
“If everybody will do complaint, then some action will be done. But nobody wants to complain because they are scared of those people,” he said.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call San Francisco police.
